Ekiti Govt Receives NGF Team on Women’s Economic Empowerment

The Ekiti State Government has received a delegation from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Programme on a visit aimed at domesticating the National Women’s Economic Empowerment Policy in the state.

Gov. Biodun Oyebanji, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Habibat Adubiaro, received the team led by the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Peju Babafemi, and a consultant to the programme, Prof. Olabisi Aina.

Oyebanji described the visit as a welcome development and a reflection of his administration’s commitment to promoting women’s economic well-being, inclusion and participation in the development of the state.

The governor said his administration recognised the vital role of women in the socio-economic development of the state and had continued to create opportunities for them to thrive, attain economic independence and contribute meaningfully to society.

He highlighted some of the interventions of his administration, including programmes under the Ekiti Knowledge Zone and initiatives through the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Investment and Cooperatives aimed at strengthening women’s economic capacity.

Oyebanji added that the ministry, in collaboration with financial institutions, had facilitated various empowerment opportunities for women across the state.

He commended the NGF Women’s Economic Empowerment team for selecting Ekiti for the exercise and assured the delegation of the state government’s readiness to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to ensure the successful domestication and implementation of the policy.

The governor reiterated his administration’s commitment to supporting programmes that would improve the livelihoods, skills and economic independence of women in the state.

Speaking on the objectives of the exercise, Aina said the National Women’s Economic Empowerment Policy, adopted by the Federal Government in 2023, was designed to provide a coordinated framework for addressing barriers limiting women’s participation in economic development.

She said the policy was built around five major pillars: agriculture, entrepreneurship, labour, emerging industries, and education and skills.

According to her, the approach goes beyond conventional women-focused programmes by seeking to make gender considerations an integral part of government planning and service delivery.

Aina said sectors such as transportation, finance, infrastructure, agriculture and education must work together to create conditions that would enable women to participate effectively in economic activities.

She described the approach as a shift from working in silos to a coordinated, state-wide system that would ensure gender considerations were reflected across ministries, departments and agencies.

The consultant clarified that while the Ministry of Women Affairs would retain its core mandate as the government’s focal point for women’s development, other ministries and agencies would be expected to integrate gender-responsive approaches into their programmes.

Babafemi commended Oyebanji for what she described as his strong support for the development and empowerment of women and girls in Ekiti.

She said the ministry had been engaging with the technical team and other stakeholders to ensure that the domestication process produced a framework that reflected the realities and economic aspirations of women across the state.

According to her, the initiative would provide a stronger platform for coordinating existing interventions and identifying areas requiring greater attention.

Babafemi expressed appreciation to Aina and members of the technical team for their commitment to the exercise, stressing that the success of the policy would depend largely on sustained collaboration among ministries, agencies, development partners and other stakeholders.

She said the domestication of the Women’s Economic Empowerment Policy was expected to strengthen inter-ministerial collaboration and improve women’s access to finance, skills, employment, entrepreneurship, markets and opportunities in emerging sectors.

The initiative is also expected to reinforce Ekiti’s human capital development agenda by ensuring that women and girls are deliberately considered in the state’s broader economic planning and development programmes.