Women's full participation in workforce essential to achieving gender equality - Don

A lecturer with the Jigawa State Polytechnic, Dutse, Jamal Ali Ahmed, has said Nigeria is far from having widespread economic justice across the country, rather drifting further away from it.

He decried the pervasive social norms and discrimination that has continued to keep women from thriving in the workforce; saying their full participation is essential to achieving gender equality in the country.

The don who was a guest speaker

at a virtual meeting organized by a Non-Governmental Organization, Connecting Gender for Development, (COGEN) on Wednesday for the inauguration of the Network of Women's Group's for Economic Justice, (NWGE), for it's project; Urgent Action Fund - Africa, said focusing on empowering women could support Agenda 2030 ambitions around growth and decent work, poverty reduction, well-being and human development in Nigeria.

"Women's economic participation and empowerment are fundamental to strengthening women's rights and enabling them to have control over their lives and exert influence in society," he added.

Earlier, COGEN's Executive Director, Ms Ngukwase Surma, had informed participants that the project, funded by Urgent Action Fund - Africa would be executed in four states of the north-west region: Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa and Zamfara states.

She said the project will empower women regardless of status in all the project areas to access economic justice through sustainable livelihoods; and also create networks to enable beneficiaries access government economic opportunities.

The ED explained that the project will work with women and girls, including women with disability and internally displaced women between ages 12 to 60 y.o drawn mostly from rural and peri-urban settings.

"This project will enhanced capacity of women and girls to increase incomes and improved livelihoods and better positioned them to access government economic support.

"Increased awareness of government MDAs that employ graduates of STEM subjects to mainstream gender in employment. NWGE members will monitor for long term impact post project.

"Increased grantee capacity and ability to reach new communities and attract funding in the area of economic justice for women," she added.