Good day ladies and gentlemen of the press, fellow Nigerians and development partners.
As we commemorate the 2024 International Women’s’ Day, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) and The Centre for Women Studies and Intervention (CWSI) will like to express their views on the economic plight confronting Nigerians today, and Nigerian women specifically. Nigerian women make up roughly half the general population, yet they account for 70% of the 90 million Nigerians living in extreme poverty. As a nation, there is no way we can advance with half the population void of the necessary enablers to overcome poverty. This underscores the relevance of the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day – ‘Count Her In: Accelerating Gender Equality Through Economic Empowerment” and the sub-theme “Invest in Women, Accelerate Progress.”
Sadly, Nigeria continues to fall short of achieving gender equality though the legal and policy framework on gender equality have been strengthened in the last decade. According to Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, “Gender equality is not just a goal within the 2030 Agenda, it is the very foundation of a fair society, and a goal upon which all other goals must stand.”
The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) and the Centre for Women Studies and Intervention (CWSI) stand on this sustainable development goal to jointly call on the Government of Nigeria at all levels to demonstrate its commitment to invest in and empower the great women of our great nation, Nigeria. In 2023, the immediate past administration launched The National Women’s Economic Empowerment Policy and Action Plan. Recognizing that women’s economic empowerment is a matter of social justice and a key driver of economic growth and development, this plan laid the framework for empowering women to participate fully in the economy as entrepreneurs, employees, and consumers. CAFOD and CWSI call on the Government to throw its weight behind the implementation of this plan in the interest of not only Nigerian women, but also in the interest of national development.
The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) and the Centre for Women Studies and Intervention (CWSI) both civil society organisations with decades of experience promoting gender justice, women’s economic empowerment and protection in Nigeria remain committed to journey with the government to ensure that meaningful investment in women is accelerated and achieved across Nigeria.
We conclude our statement with the wise words of Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, “by breaking down the barriers that have hindered the full participation of women and girls in every aspect of society, we unleash the untapped potential that can drive progress and prosperity for all.”
Signed:
The Country Representative, CAFOD Nigeria and The Executive Director, Centre for Women Studies, and Intervention
Thank you.
