Today at the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development:

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

Dr Gifty thanked the minister for the warm reception, she expressed the need for collaboration with the ministry to support women's empowerment and to address gender gaps in the country, which aligns with UNFPA’s goals and mandate.

Barr. Uju explained that there is a lot that UNFPA and her ministry can do together, that will ensure women are appreciated for their contributions, in ensuring that they move from waiting for support to being empowered. She added that women particularly 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 Gifty explained that areas of such support are 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 across the board 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.