By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) has joined the rest of the world in the fight against gender inequality in the society.
The 2022 world International Women’s Day with the theme, “Changing Climate: Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow” with the #BreakTheBias focused on bridging the gender inequality gap in the society.
The annual event which is celebrated every 8th of March is geared towards examining the opportunities, as well as the constraints, with a view to empowering women and girls to have a voice and be equal players in decision-making as it concerns climate change and sustainability which is essential for sustainable development and greater gender equality.
The President of ACCI, Dr Al-Mujtaba Abubakar who joined the rest of the leaders to celebrate the women said, “achieving the sustainable development goals in Nigeria is hinged on structures that empowers and support women’s rights”.
According to the President, “Women heavily face challenges despite their efforts in building up careers and running entrepreneurs that have resulted to global recognitions. Across the world, research revealed that many outstanding companies are currently being run by women. However, challenges still exist for women, namely in the international business world and especially in Africa.
“Women in Nigeria suffer in their reproductive rights. They suffer one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world; nearly 7 in 10 women are unbanked, with more than half of them financially excluded and account for more than 60% of people in living in poverty.”.
He said, “legal institutions and family structures, socio-cultural determinants continue to lead to the treatment of women as being inferior to their male counterparts but they still excel in many areas such as the recent West African Senior School Certificate Examination in Nigeria where 48.61% of the candidates who got five credits inclusive of English and Mathematics were mostly females.
“Also, 40% of Nigerian women are entrepreneurs, which is the highest ratio of female business owners in the world and are also at the forefront of health and social care initiatives in the country, starting and running more care-focused NGOs than men”
The President of ACCI, therefore, urges government and key stakeholders to review the recently rejected bill that seeks to enforce 35% representation of women in government. He also made the call for the support of women in entrepreneur in the area of access to loan facilities with minimal interest that will help them build strong business ventures.
In statement by ACCI Media/Strategy Officer, Olayemi John- Mensah on Wednesday, the president also called for urgent humanitarian support for people trapped in Ukraine and other war-torn areas and appealed for cease fire in order for negotiations to occur.
