By Timothy Choji
The Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) has stepped up its continent-wide campaign for gender equity through its #We Are Equal campaign.
This was disclosed at a Summit of African First Ladies in New York, on the sidelines of the ongoing 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Some of the First Ladies, including that of Nigeria, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, who shared their experiences in the last one year when the #We Are Equal campaign started, noted that the summit would help further shape Africa’s future.
Narrating her experience, the Nigerian First Lady said:
“In Nigeria, I am driving the campaign through the Renewed Hope Initiative, RHI, where we have five areas, Economic Empowerment, Social Investment, Agriculture, Health and Education. All of these are in line with my husbands Renewed Hope Agenda.
“We have also just launched the Young Farmers Club Nigeria, in senior primary and high school, which will see the young ones get involved in Agriculture at an early stage.”
Also Read: UNGA 79: Nigeria Seeks Equality, Inclusivity Among Member States
Sher revealed that Nigeria is responding to the state of emergency on food security declared by President Bola Tinubu, “and that is one of the reasons the RHI is also organizing Every Home a Garden competition, with prize money and the winner would be announced in December 2024.
“When I was teaching in high school, I realized that some of my brightest students had to drop out of school due to early pregnancies. But I also realized they can still be given a second chance.
“We are having a lot of collaborations presently and we are already having positive results especially in the area of girl child education and health issues.”
M-Pox
During the discussion session at the event, panelists including representatives of the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and other partners, the issue of Monkey Pox was on the front burner and the African First Ladies were urged to lead the battle against the disease that is fast becoming a global epidemic.
The session also highlighted President Joe Biden’s commitment on behalf of the US to the course of eliminating the disease with the donation of 1 million units of Mpox vaccine to Africa and an additional $500m to fight the disease on the continent.
The Organization of African First Ladies for Development, OAFLAD, also presented an award of appreciation for the successful and impactful launch of the #We Are Equal campaign in Nigeria to Mrs. Tinubu and four other First Ladies for a similar feat in their countries.
18 African Countries have so far launched the #We Are Equal Campaign. The theme for the Summit was “Amplifying Change Through Collaboration.”
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