Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, has emphasised the need for greater inclusion of women in politics and governance, acknowledging their crucial role in the country’s socio-economic development.
The Minister made this statement at the closeout and dissemination ceremony of the Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL) project in Abuja, the nation’s capital. The WVL project, a five-year initiative funded by Global Affairs Canada and supported by ActionAid Nigeria, aims to empower women and promote gender equality in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Represented by the Principal Social Welfare Officer of the Ministry, Mr. Alake Olaniran, the Minister reiterated the ministry’s commitment to supporting women’s rights and helping them achieve their goals.
“Women’s Voice and Leadership, WVL has increase women participation in leadership and key decision making process in respective states driven by this project, as women have been able to utilize their leadership and negotiation skills to address overwelming issues of governance in their community in their state and the country in general,” Ohanenye stated.
She expressed gratitude to ActionAid Nigeria and their implementing team for their significant achievements and urged continued support to ensure gender equality.
The President of the Nigerian Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Aisha Ibrahim, highlighted the project’s aim to tackle barriers to gender equality and empower women and girls by providing financial and technical resources to local feminist and women’s rights organisations in Nigeria. She noted that the initiative had yielded positive results.
She also called for more inclusion of women in politics, recognising their role and dedication to nation-building. ” For Democracy, it has come to stay in Nigeria and for women to get their rightful place, they must participate actively in the political processes in Nigeria. We want women to encourage participation notwithstanding the obstacles they faced in the past. Women should know that we can’t stop participating in the electoral processes if we want things to change. Like they say: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a step. This is our own first step. There is a thousand more to go, but if we don’t start with the first step, we will not get to that one thousand,” she added.
The event, organised by FCT Women Voice Leadership (WVL) and eight other partners, highlighted the achievements, shared learnings, and discussed the sustainable impact of the WVL-N project.