….Gives a 10month Timeline, Involving Aggressive Grassroots Engagement for Effective Inclusiveness.
Lagos State Government has kicked off processes for the domestication of the National Women’s Economic Empowerment, WEE Policy with a pledge to localise the policy to meet the unique needs of women across the State.
The National Women’s Economic Empowerment WEE Policy is an initiative of the Federal Government launched in May 2023 as a blueprint to guide the country towards becoming a balanced and inclusive society.
Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, WAPA, Bolaji Dada made the pledge at a stakeholders’ engagement to herald the domestication in collaboration with the Lagos State Office of the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs.
Dada noted that the state government endorses the WEE Policy and is eager to drive its domestication to advance women’s prosperity in key sectors such as Agriculture, Entrepreneurship, the Labour Market, Education, and Skill Acquisition where they strive for viable livelihoods.
According to her, the domestication is timely as women disproportionately make up the majority of the State Population at 8.5 percent with extreme poverty stage and the WAPA Ministry has made concerted progress in empowering women through diverse economic empowerment schemes.
“Today’s meeting is an opportunity for us to engage in open and honest discussions, share best practices, and learn from each other. We recognise the importance of ensuring the women empowerment policy is not only implemented but also effectively localized to address the unique needs and challenges faced.
“Having pulled pivotal representatives from the public, private, and Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, I am filled with gratitude for the unflinching support received from every one of you thus far. I would like to especially thank Mr. Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, for his unwavering commitment to empowering women and girls in tandem with the THEMES Plus Agenda of his Administration, which has positioned the Ministry in fulfilling its mandate.
“I would also like to thank the Office of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) particularly, the Special Adviser to Mr. Governor here in the person of Dr. Oreoluwa Finnih for collaborating with us in this assignment, our technical Advisers, the team members of the Albright Stonebridge Group and their partners here present for their technical support towards this giant stride.”
In her opening remarks, Special Adviser to Mr. Governor on SDGs, Dr. Oreoluwa Finnih attributed the successes of Lagos to gender equality, which is well thought out to ensure women are part of decision-making in the State.
Finnih, who commended stakeholders who are actively pushing for equal opportunities for women everywhere, noted that the stakeholders’ engagement is in line with SDG 17 which speaks to the importance of collaboration.
The Special Adviser expressed hopes that the deliberations of all stakeholders would prompt actions for the advancement of women socially, economically, and in policy-making.
Earlier, Lead Consultant, Lagos State WEE -ASG, Fabia Ogunmekan said through key directions such as Tailored Solutions, Local Ownership, Inclusive Collaboration, and Policy Effectiveness, the WEE Policy intends to centre all existing women initiatives to track progress.