By Perpetua Onuegbu

Tech Herfrica, a leading social impact Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) dedicated to empowering women in rural communities has unveiled a guidebook for implementing impactful programmes in rural communities.

Founder of the group, Mrs Imade Bibowei-Osuobeni, said during the unveiling that the publication “Breaking Barriers”, was loaded with strategies and tactics.

Bibowei-Osuobeni said the move was to honour rural women on the occasion of International Women’s Day and also to ensure that they have access to the various empowerment programmes aimed at driving change in some rural areas in FCT and Nasarawa.

She emphasised the importance of collaboration, stating that the community of practice would facilitate the sharing of insights, data, and resources crucial for the successful implementation of the programmes.

Bibowei-Osuobeni also stated that stakeholders needed to work together to utilise a holistic approach for poverty reduction.

“With contributions from seasoned experts boasting a collective five decades of experience, the book equips change makers with the necessary knowledge to effect lasting change in rural settings.

“The book will also help to break the cycle of poverty, reduce inequalities and boost agriculture and trade.

“Tech Herfrica inaugurated the Rural Community of Practice, a collaborative platform designed to bring together like-minded individuals and organisations committed to driving positive change in rural areas.

“The community of practice will facilitate the sharing of insights, data and resources crucial for the successful implementation of programmes,” she said.

Funmi Okubanjo, founder, Aziza Development Foundation and one of the contributors to the book, urged stakeholders to priortise collaboration in order to accelerate investment in women towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Osarugue Amayanvbo, a special guest at the event and the book reviewer, said the book contained relevant tips that can help change-makers achieve lasting impact in rural settings.

She also expressed surprise at how the tactics shared in the book can be used by businesses to achieve success.

Prominent figures from both the private and public sectors graced the event, including Dr Ese Owie, former Chairman, Edo State Board of Internal Revenue and Prince Godswill Edward, a two-time Special Adviser on Youths Development to Rivers governor.

Others are Dr Nicholas Allo, CEO, Visual Earth Limited; Esohe Ekunwe, Director of Operations and Strategy at Tech Herfrica; and Ivie Ogiemwonyi, a lawyer and social entrepreneur.

Their enthusiastic support underscored the significance of Tech Herfrica’s efforts in promoting gender equality and empowering women in rural communities. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Emmanuel Afonne

By Angela Atabo/Perpetua Onuegbu

Stakeholders at a dialogue held in Abuja have advocated for the empowerment of women through Media and Information Literacy (MIL).

The stakeholders made the call at an Intergenerational Dialogue, which is part of the activities to commemorate the 2024 International Women’s Day.

They maintained that MIL was a sure way towards achieving gender equality in Nigerian politics and governance.

The theme of the dialogue was, “Media and Information Literacy: A Tool for Enhancing Women’s Inclusion in Politics and Governance’’.

The event was organised by the Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue Foundation (MILID Foundation).

The keynote Speaker, Mr Dapo Olorunyomi, said that gender inclusion in politics was faced with several challenges in the country.

Olorunyomi, the Publisher, Premium Times, said that despite constituting more than 50 per cent of the population, females held less than seven per cent of elective positions.

He added in his presentation entitled, “Enhancing Women’s Inclusion through Media and Information Literacy” that women still experienced discrimination while seeking for employment.

“Women lag behind in education and legal support, and they face broader social and economic inequalities, including limited access to resources, healthcare among others.

“MIL can empower women by helping them to gain access to diverse sources for information, building their skills and helping them to mobilise support, raise awareness and facilitate networking among women,” Olorunyomi said.

Mr Zissimos Vergo, Deputy Head of Delegation, Head of Politics, Press and Information Section, Delegation of the European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS, reiterated the commitment of EU to inclusive governance in Nigeria.

Vergo said that the EU would assist Nigeria through electoral reforms and to ensure that gender bills are reintroduced to the 10th assembly.

“This will go a long way to increase the participation of women in politics, especially increasing the number of women in parliament across Nigeria.

“The number of women in parliament is low and some state houses of assembly do not even have a single woman,” Vergo noted.

Ms Chiamaka Okafor, Executive Director, MILID, said that the Foundation organised the dialogue to discuss and understand how the media was affecting women’s inclusion in politics and governance in Nigeria.

According to Okafor, the media plays a dominant role in defining the subordinate role that women play in politics and governance.

Ms Linda Akhigbe, Journalist and Special Adviser to the President on Strategic Communications, said MIL needed to be supported to address women’s needs.

Akhigbe called for consistent and deliberate action to always bring the issues of women to the limelight and to put activities in place to educate women, especially at the grassroots.

“Women need to be educated on how to talk to the press, there is also need to put policies and reforms in place to empower women.

“This is the time to that we need to begin to lobby lawmakers, traditional and religious rulers and make sure that these gender bills are passed to ensure more women in politics,” Akhigbe said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Francis Onyeukwu/Christiana Fadare

By Rukayat Moisemhe

Grant Thornton International Ltd., a financial advisory firm, has identified three clear pathways for businesses to accelerate gender parity aimed at increasing number of women in senior management roles in organisations.

The firm made this known on Monday in Lagos, via its 20-year Women in Business Report to commemorate the annual International Women’s Day celebration.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that findings in the report was drawn from 5,000 interviews conducted between October and November 2023.

Among the interviewees are chief executive officers, managing directors, chairs, and other senior decision-makers from all industry sectors in mid-market businesses in 28 countries.

Dr Ngozi Ogwo, the Chief Executive Officer, Grant Thornton Nigeria, noted that the percentage of women in senior management roles globally had increased from 19.4 per cent to 33.5 per cent over two decades.

Ogwo, however, stated that progress remained slow with just a 1.1 per cent point increase from last year.

At the current rate, Ogwo observed, gender parity would not be achieved until 2053.

She said the company’s report “Pathways to Parity: 20 Years of Women in Business Insights”, was a two decade research work aimed at monitoring and measuring women’s representation in senior management roles within mid-market companies worldwide.

“The three clear pathways for businesses to accelerate progress towards gender parity in senior management include firstly assigning responsibility for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I).

“The second include implementing a standalone DE&I strategy with measurable goals; and thirdly offering flexible working arrangements,” she said.

Ogwo noted that for every senior management role that led on DE&I, the percentage of women in senior management positions increased when a member of the C-suite, of any gender, leads alongside a senior female leader.

She added that when a chief executive officer of any gender combined with a senior female leader, 38 per cent of senior roles are held by women.

“The most successful strategy is one which focuses on DE&I alone, independent of a broader Environment, Sustainability and Governance (ESG) strategy.

“Mid-market firms with a DE&I strategy, but no ESG strategy, have the highest percentage of senior management roles held by women (38 per cent) – slightly more than businesses which have both a DE&I strategy and an ESG strategy (36 per cent).

“If businesses do not have a DE&I strategy or an ESG strategy, the percentage drops to 28 per cent.

“In today’s world, it is essential for women to be an integral part of DE& I leadership teams, as they bring unique perspectives, experiences, and insights that contribute to the creation of a more balanced, empathetic, and effective workplace culture,” she said.

Maddie Wollerton Blanks, Director, People consulting, Grant Thornton United Kingdom (UK), said the final pathway to parity is the ability to work flexibly.

According to her, there has been a dramatic shift back to office-based working among global mid-market firms in the past 12 months.

According to her, 47 per cent of businesses are now primarily office-based (compared to 36 per cent last year) and 45 per cent are hybrid (compared to 53 per cent last year).

“Businesses in which workers are primarily office-based are the only ones where the percentage of women in senior management roles drops below the global benchmark.

“Grant Thornton urges businesses to heed the call for action and seize the opportunity to drive meaningful change.

“As the global economy evolves, maintaining focus on gender parity is essential to ensure a prosperous and equitable future for all,” she said.

Peter Bodin, the Firm’s Chief Executive Officer, said the research was a significant contributor to the global debate on equity in the workplace for 20 years.

Bodin noted that while there had been some positive changes over that time, sustainable change needed intentional effort and clear accountability from leadership at every organisation.

“Through the business report and the pathways we identify, we aim to give mid-market organisations a roadmap to accelerate progress and build more diverse, resilient and successful businesses,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

By Angela Atabo/Tina Auta

Stakeholders in the development sector have advocated the need to empower, mentor and invest in women to quicken sustainable development.

The stakeholders made the call during a ceremony tagged `Purple Ball 2024’ with the theme: “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress”, to mark the 2024 International Women’s Day in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Purple Ball was organised by Strong Enough Girls Empowerment Initiatives and Glamodi Women and Girls Development Initiative, to celebrate women’s achievement and encourage them.

Ms Onyinye Vincent, Convener of Purple Ball and Founder, Executive Director of Strong Enough Girls Empowerment Initiatives, said that investment in women in terms of education and mentorship would spur their development.

According to her, this is necessary because nothing can ever be achieved if women are not literate and are not able to think for themselves.

“Women have to know their rights and be able to ask for their rights. Mentorship helps to guide women on the right paths with wisdom as they navigate life’s journey.

“Women also need money. So we need to ensure that women have access to money and also access to properties.

“So being able to invest in women in this way will go a long way to accelerate progress.”

The Keynote Speaker, Kemi Gbadamosi, Director of Advocacy, Policy and Marketing, Africa Bureau, Aids Healthcare Foundation, said that investing in women had a multiplier effect, social and economic dividends.

“What does investing look like beyond just education? It has implications even for health; women become financially independent, more financially reliant and by so doing they can invest even in the home front.

“So, when we invest in women, we will have more women in all spheres of the economy especially in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

“For a long time. STEM was dominated by men. But now, we are seeing women take up that space.

“You see girls are learning to code and that’s one of the powers of investing.”

Also, Mrs Stephanie Apel, Executive Director, Glamodi Women and Girls Development Initiative and Co-convener of the Purple Ball, said the organisation works to empower women and girls to take their rightful place in the society.

“A ball event is a celebratory event, and the reason for us having this Purple Ball to mark the women’s day is to celebrate the journeys of women.

“There are a lot of women doing great things, some are seen and some are not seen.

“So we bring them together, spotlight them and also bring mentors to talk to them so that they will be encouraged to go out there and do great things.”

Other stakeholders advocated inclusion of women in governance as well as in building peace in Nigeria.

Mrs Aderonke Olisa, Executive Director, Ladies of Virtue and Excellence International Foundation, who stressed the need for mentorship added there was a gap between the older and the younger generation.

“The older women are fighting for equality, inclusion, but when you look at the younger women, they do not really have the skills or not prepared to take up these positions.

“That is where mentorship comes in; we must pair older women with younger women in different careers so that they can show them practical ways to actually take up these positions.”

Ms Habiba Ghazali, Senior Project Officer, Search for Common Ground, called for the implementation of the document on women, peace and security agenda to empower more women for peace building and to be at the decision table. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Abiemwense Moru