AfCFTA: Nigerian Women Resonate Full Participation in Decision Making
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AfCFTA: Nigerian Women Resonate Full Participation in Decision Making
By Alabidun Shuaib Abdulrahman
Women’s organisations, government ministries, non-governmental organisations, and relevant corporate actors have identified key barriers to women’s effective participation in policy decisions, trade and suboptimal in public procurement markets.
They maintained that, in order for the rest of society to benefit from women’s unique capacity for poverty alleviation, political, social, and economic development, and gender equality, governments must address women’s challenges across the board.
These concerns were expressed by participants in a Town Hall Meeting in Abuja to brainstorm on a theme, “Buenos Aires Declaration: Pathway to Inclusive African Continental Free Trade Area Implementation in Nigeria,”
The Town Hall Meeting was convened to build women’s capacity by disseminating relevant information that will position them to maximize the opportunities provided by the AfCFTA.
It was organized by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Ministry of Women Affairs and a Non Governmental Organization, Women Arise Development and Humanitarian Initiative (WADHI), and others.
Amb. Mariam Yalwaji Kantagum, Honourable Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, in her remarks maintained that women must have equal access to all possibilities offered to males in order to effectively harness their contributions to economic progress.
The minister opined that Nigeria needed to domesticate the Buenos Aires Declaration on Trade and Women’s Economic Empowerment (2017), in which members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreed to collaborate in making trade and development policies more gender responsive, with a focus on removing barriers to women’s economic empowerment and increasing their trade participation.
Kantagum, represented by Kaura Irimiya, the Deputy Director of Commodities in the Ministry added that her ministry which has a mandate to create an enabling environment to stimulate industrialisation and accelerate domestic and foreign investment, has successfully championed the development of MSMEs to create jobs and drive inclusive growth, as well as promoting the integration of Nigeria-based businesses into regional and global value chains.
She also stated that the MSME Survival Fund, as part of the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP), was being considered to assist and protect small enterprises from the COVID-19 pandemic’s risks.
She went on to say that the Nigerian Export Promotion Council’s (NEPC) N50 billion Export Expansion Facility Program was targeted at empowering exporters, including women, to expand their enterprises through non-oil exports.
Esther Eghobamien-Mshelia, the Covener of Women Arise Development and Humanitarian Initiative (WADHI), said the AfCFTA town hall meeting was crucial because women’s organizations have been working to guarantee that all identified trade barriers are adequately addressed.
She stated that women must be given an equal opportunity to achieve their full potential in commerce and other economic pursuits, claiming that women are capable of providing the solutions needed for nation-building.
According to her, while women engage in more cross-border trade, they have less access to loans and land, preventing them from achieving their goals.
Responding, Rt Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker, National House of Representatives assured fast legislation upon resumption in January.
