Land Use Act Militating Against Women Participation In Agribusiness —Ndanusa
THE newly inaugurated President of the Nigerian Association of Women Entrepreneurs (NAWE), Chief Vera Ndanusa, has said that the current Land Use Act in Nigeria is affecting the active participation of women in agricultural productivity and agribusiness.
Ndanusa who stated this in Abuja during her inauguration as the President of the Association decried a situation where women were not given a chance to officially own land due to cultural practices in some parts of the country.
She also charged the government at all levels to ensure that the girl child was also included in the economic policies as a means of facilitating young entrepreneurs.
She said, “Government and international agencies should tailor their programmes to encourage the empowerment of women in sustainable agriculture while financial institutions should be women-friendly in their lending considering women’s role in food security.
“When it comes to farming, women in Nigeria are mostly subsistence farmers; now that we have made a decision on agriculture, the first thing is to access lands and funds that will empower small scale farmers.”
She remarked that the Federal Government in a bid to promote industrial development in Nigeria had disclosed that more Small and Medium Enterprises owned by women would be given attention as a means to facilitate trade in the country.
Also speaking, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, said the ministry had mainstreamed gender issues in its mandate of industrial development.
Adebayo said women constitute part of the human resources with which both firms and government can assist to realise their goals for national development.
“An economy that successfully attracts and nurtures entrepreneurs in various categories is likely to sustain economic growth,” he said.
The minister represented by an Assistant Director in the Ministry, Hajara Usman, explained that the population of women in the country was significant and its effects could not be downplayed in the matters of economic growth.
tribuneonlineng.com
