By Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti
The Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has urged governments at all levels to mainstream women-friendly policies to promote gender equality in Nigeria, stating that making women economically active and buoyant is crucial to the country’s peace and prosperity.
Oyebanji reminded that the stability of any country begins at the homestead, where women play pivotal and financially demanding roles in ensuring good education, morality, and the social inclusion of their children for personal and national development.
The governor made these remarks on Friday while inaugurating a multisectoral programme tagged: Nigeria For Women Programme Scale-Up (NFWP-SU), held in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.
Oyebanji, represented by his Deputy, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, described the NFWP-SU as a World Bank-assisted programme with the aim of institutionalising Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) and other platforms for Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) to create improved economic opportunities.
He stated that the programme, which had already been launched in six states across the federation, was designed to empower women through a strategic partnership between the Federal Government and the World Bank, supporting the Government’s goal of ensuring gender equality.
“The parent project tested the Women Affinity Group (WAG) model as a platform for addressing key constraints to women’s social and economic empowerment at the household and community levels, thereby addressing barriers to women’s prosperity and building social assets for women’s empowerment.
“There is widespread evidence that enhancing women’s financial inclusion would generate significant economic and societal benefits. By building assets, women can better respond to family needs.
“When a woman has access to and control of financial products and services, she contributes to not only her own well-being but also the well-being of her family. When a woman saves in a safe place, she saves for her children’s education, her family’s health, and their better housing—building both security and prosperity.
“With greater security and prosperity, she gains greater economic empowerment, with ripple effects across communities and, eventually, societies.”
The governor commended the World Bank for its various interventions in the state, expressing hope that the project would achieve the desired objective of improving the livelihoods of Ekiti women.
In her address, the Commissioner for Women’s Affairs, Mrs Peju Babafemi, stated that Governor Oyebanji had demonstrated enormous passion and readiness to break the socio-cultural and economic barriers limiting the female gender.
The NFWP-SU Coordinator in Ekiti State, Mrs Toyin Familoni, added that the state had made significant strides in ensuring gender balance by promulgating laws that mainstream gender equality and remove discrimination against women.
To ensure the success of the programme, Familoni revealed that Governor Oyebanji had approved funding and provided accommodation for its operations, while also designating three local governments as pilot areas to kick-start the project.