Access Bank urges manufacturing, other sectors to embrace gender equality

Access Bank  plc on Wednesday called on the manufacturing sector alongside other sectors of the economy to embrace gender equality.

Herbert Wigwe, group managing director/CEO, made the call at the Nigerian Sustainable Banking Principle (NSBP) Gender Empowerment session organised by Access Bank in Lagos.

“Institutions have to think of ways to support female gender. I will urge you all for us, to take it to a different level, let us get people in manufacturing, in other fields to basically embrace what is good for the entire world, which is gender equality”, Wigwe said while welcoming participants.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the bankers committee had, 12 years ago, adopted the NSBP aimed at integrating environmental and social policies into decision making processes in deposit money banks and other financial institutions.

Wigwe was concerned that since the adoption of the NSBP, there are still several institutions that have not attained the level of compliance that expected particular as it pertains to gender equality.

“We are to ensure that we place women where they truly should be, for me, it is something that we will extremely be glad to have”, Wigwe added.

Speaking at the forum, Chizoba Mojekwu, director, human resources department, CBN, said organisations are still largely patriarchal and regulations are not working. “That is what we know because if regulations were working, there is a regulation of a minimum of 30 percent on the board why is it not happening in some organisations”, Mojekwu queried.

“So my view is that we are dealing with a major transformational issue more than a technical challenge and that is an adaptive challenge.”

“We should also talk about hiring blind people and people with auditory and physically challenged so it is important we drive conversations that are holding women back in organisations, she added.”

Ibukun Awosika, Chairman, board of directors, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, who also spoke at the forum said it is really about understanding and educating the populace, the workforce and the leaders in the different environment and then being deliberate about creating an enabling environment not just by words but by actions in real terms.

“It is possible for girls to work from home as long as they can deliver value. While doing this they are encouraging family support and organisational support and as a country, being deliberate in understanding that helping our women find space to express themselves and their values is also creating margin for us as a country”, Awosika said.

Bolaji Agbede, head, human resources, Access Bank, said it is important to create enabling environment for women to be recruited, retained and promoted in the workplace or as entrepreneurs or as leaders in the financial sector.