UNFPA NIGERIA URGES LEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR WOMEN :

12/10/2023- ABUJA, Nigeria– UNFPA Nigeria Resident Representative Dr. Gifty Addico paid a courtesy call to Barrister Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development at her office, in Abuja.

During the visit, which coincided with the 2023 International Day of the Girl Child, Dr. Addico thanked the minister for receiving them to her office and expressed the need for collaboration with the ministry, citing a need to increase support for women, especially in contexts of working with traditional and religious institutions to address gender gaps in the country, and that she added it aliens with UNFPA’s goals.

The honorable minister highlighted the potential for collaboration and cooperation with the UNFPA to address negative trends in gender equality and equity. She added that women in Nigeria need support in areas such as skills acquisition and agricultural empowerment which her ministry would propose due to its livelihood potentials and transformative nature for rural women.

The minister said that women, particularly those in the rural areas in Nigeria, do not necessarily need handouts but rather support in areas of skills and tool acquisition and linkages to the value chain to make their jobs easier to do and to enhance the impact of their economic contribution to national development.  

Dr Addico explained that areas of such support were already embedded within the UN cooperatives framework which has a direct relationship to priority areas of the government. She called for more discussions and alignment of activities to see Nigeria succeed.

She thanked the Minister for agreeing to see her despite her busy schedule while reiterating that UNFPA is a strong partner in achieving the government's goals on reproductive health services.

At the ministerial press briefing for the International Rural Women’s Day, which was held on the sidelines of her official visit to the Women Affairs Ministry, UNFPA Nigeria Resident Representative called for a level playing field for women by ensuring there were no barriers to her accessing opportunities to education, skill acquisition, and economic empowerment.

Other partners in attendance, citing the global effects of climate change and conflict, called for evidence-based solutions that leverage local opportunities to reverse the trend.

The event was attended by Ministries of Agric, Budget and Planning, women NGOs, CBOs, and media reporters.