‘Nigeria has a lot of work that is needed to close the gender gap’
The United Nations (UN) Entity for Gender Equality women has commenced the process of forging strategic partnerships with the private sector in Nigeria to close the gender gap and work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The UN women representatives, held an interactive platform with leaders of the private sector in Lagos to gain a better understanding of UN Women’s work in Nigeria, and how to enhance the involvement and impact of businesses in achieving sustainable development in the country through the advancement of women’s empowerment and gender equality.
Rose Keffas, representing Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs said, the 61st session of the UN commission on the status of women themed ‘Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work’, is an important one to accelerate progress towards the closing of the critical gender gaps we still face in the Nigerian Society.
“As the 5th to the last in Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria has a lot of work that is needed to close the Gender Gap. This work that needs to be done requires Affirmative Action, across all the gender gap indices” said Keffas.
Gender equality and women’s empowerment are intrinsic to the achievement of 2030 agenda for sustainable development. With a stand-alone sustainable development goal—SDG 5—“to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”, the 2030 agenda recognises the importance of women’s empowerment, including their economic empowerment, as a prerequisite for ending poverty.
Comfort Lamptey, UN Women’s Representative to Nigeria and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said it is our hope to accelerate Nigeria’s implementation of SDG 5 by forging strategic partnerships for resource mobilisation, technology transfer and capacity building.
“Investing in gender equality has been lauded by many as ‘smart economics’ that not only increases the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but also contributes to building an enabling environment for business and sustainable development” , Lamptey said.
Lamptey further added that the UN Women’s vision also articulates our firm commitment to upscale and strengthen our partnership with the private sector as a catalyst for -and role model of- change. “Therefore, investing in SDG 5 on gender equality will facilitate the implementation of all the SDGs in Nigeria, which will also advance business and economic goals in Nigeria,”
“UN Women remains ever-ready to maximise innovative partnerships that shift the development landscape in Nigeria. We hope that our deliberations today will inform the elaboration of our private sector engagement strategy, and position the Nigerian private sector as a global pioneer in advancing women’s empowerment through investments in the implementation of the SDGs” she added.
ANTHONIA OBOKOH