The Lagos State Government on Monday inaugurated the Women’s Economic Empowerment(WEE) policy action team for the domestication of the WEE policy in the state.
The inauguration, accompanied by a maiden stakeholders engagement, was led by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation( MWAPA) in collaboration with the Office of Sustainable Development Goals( OSDG).
The News Agency of Nigeria( NAN) reports that the National WEE policy and action plan was inaugurated in May 2023 by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
It was to serve as a roadmap for enhancing women’s economic empowerment in Nigeria.
The main goal of the policy is to accelerate structural reforms and prioritise sector-specific interventions necessary to promote the full participation and success of women and girls in Nigeria’s dynamic economy.
Mrs Oluyemi Kalesanwo,Permanent Secretary, MWAPA, in her address in Lagos, said that the state was embarking on a transformative journey that aimed to uplift the lives of women across its communities.
Kalesanwo said that the initiative underscored a shared commitment to empower, and foster economic independence for all women.
“The challenges we face in the realm of women’s economic empowerment are daunting, but i firmly believe that together, we can create innovative solutions that will make a lasting impact.
“This initiative is rooted in the understanding that economic empowerment is a fundamental right for every woman.
“It is not just about financial independence; it is about dignity, confidence and the ability to make choices that affect our lives and communities,” she said.
According to her, the state government envisions a future where women have equal access to resources, opportunities, and platforms for growth and development.
The permanent secretary called for collaboration among the team members to achieve the WEE mandate, while initiating programmes that focus on skill development, entrepreneurship, and access to funding.
Overviewing the project, Ms Fabia Ogunmekan, Consultant DGA- Albright Stonebridge Group(ASG), technical advisers to Lagos MWAPA on WEE policy, lauded the Lagos state government for championing the domestication of the initiative.
Ogunmekan said that no state had domesticated the policy since it was inaugurated in 2023, adding that Lagos is taking the lead to be at the forefront of the implementation.
She stated that the inaugurated team members were shortlisted from 10 key Ministries,Departments and Agencies(MDAs) in the state.
Ogunmekan listed some of the ministries to include: MWAPA, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Wealth Creation, and Lagos State Entrepreneurship Trust Fund,
Others are Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Budget, Finance and Economic Planning, Ministry of Youth and Sports, and Ministry of Education.
The consultant said that the team was expected to work as focal persons from the government side in the co-creation of the WEE policy.
“The team is expected to look at the national WEE policy, which has five sectoral pillars, and consider how relevant it is for Lagos state and perhaps suggest more relevant ones for the state as well.
“The team will be working with the technical advisers, together with similar focal persons working in the private sector, CSOs, and NGOs, to ensure that this policy actually speaks to women in Lagos state,”she said.
According to her, with intensive stakeholders dialogue within the next three months, the state intends to officially launch the domestication of the WEE policy by December 2024 or January 2025.
Ms Adekemi Omole, Gender and Inclusion Lead of Policy Innovation Centre( PIC), said that the goal of the policy was to ensure that women were empowered to have access to resources, opportunities and enabling environment to thrive.
Omole is also a technical adviser to the state on the project.
He explained that the next stage after the inauguration was to embark on a co-creation by the last quarter of the year to examine the policy.
“We will bring together all the key stakeholders, which includes the market women, policy action team, private sector, and the creative sector people living with disabilities.
“The idea is to co-create a people’s policy for domestication in the state.
“Following our research and findings, we can develop a guideline from the National WEE guideline that suits women of the state.
“This will be presented to the governor, who already gave us his backing, for approval and launch,”she said.
Ms Joke Ogunojemite, Assistant Director,Legal of OSDG, Lagos State, said that OSDG was partnering with ASG and PIC to ensure that the WEE policy was domesticated in Lagos state.
Ogunojemite said that the domestication of the policy would be useful to the OSDG and help it achieve its role easily towards meeting the 2030 deadline of achieving the 17 United Nation’s SDGs.
She noted that the policy would guide women in Lagos State on how to empower themselves economically, socially, intellectually, and in every aspect of life, upon domestication.(NAN)
