Nigerian women have been advised to access opportunities and resources inorder to be empowered and also bridge the gender gap.
This was stated at an event organised by the Centre for Peace Advocacy and Sustainable Development(CEPASD) in commemoration of the International Women’s Day with the theme: Breaking Barriers: Advancing gender equality and Women’s Empowerment .
The Executive Director of CEPASD Augustine Igweshi reiterated the Centre’s commitment to advancing the rights of women and girls and ensuring that they have equal opportunities to thrive in all aspects of the society.
He says “Since our inception ,CEPASD has remained steadfast in its mission in advancing gender equality and also empowering marginalised community ,promoting peace and thriving sustainable development across Nigeria.
Through our initiative we have actively engaged in advocacy for gender inclusion ,equipping women with skills and knowledge”
Also present at the event was the Mandate Secretary ,Women Affairs Adedayo Laniyi.
She stated that celebrating women especially girls was celebrating the future and celebrating the legacy connecting community with humanity.
She emphasised the need to educate not just the girl child but also the boy child on gender based violence as this serves as a tool for equipping them with the right information.
She said “The 2024 booth camp Kick GBV out of FCT wasn’t just for the girls but also for the boys.We brought them together for a booth camp and trained them for 4 days about what it means .It was aimed for self defence as even boys in the society are faced with bullying, physical ,mental and cultural abuses.
Advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment is key for National development. Achieving this vision however comes with several constraints. Brenda Anugwom the CEO of the Nigerian Women Trust Fund says Lack of Funding serves as a major setback towards Women Empowerment especially for those aspiring to venture into political sphere.
“We mostly get funding from donor partners ,but as we know USAID has pulled off their funds which would affect our financial resources immensely”.
To curb this challenge, she suggested that more collaboration with partners to raise funds as well as innovation and strategy, Donor interest in women development will go a long way to promote women empowerment.
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