In its avowed determination towards ensuring the realization of its mandate, the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs has successfully convened the 24th Regular National Council on Women Affairs.
The gathering which held from October 28-31, 2024, at Centre La Sharp Events in Jos, Plateau State, brought together stakeholders from the public and private sectors to brainstorm and approve memoranda that will impact positively on the lives of women, children, and vulnerable groups in the country.
The Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, while delivering her keynote address, emphasized the Ministry’s commitment to advancing women’s empowerment, gender equality as well as protection of the Nigerian child.
It is with great pleasure that I welcome you all to this very important occasion of the 24th Edition of the Annual Meeting of the National Council on Women Affairs. I am truly delighted to be here in Plateau State, the Home of Peace and Tourism, which is also my birth State, she stated.
The Minister noted that the Ministry, through the Nigeria For Women Project, had disbursed over N3 billion to 67,358 women beneficiaries in six pilot States and also facilitated the training of 6.7 million adolescents in seven States, through the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE).
On GBV, Sulaiman-Ibrahim informed that remarkable progress has been made as shown on the available data, with 35 States domesticating the Child Rights Acts and 29 of them, adopting the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act.
Other achievements recorded by the Ministry, she said, include –
Implementing the World Bank-assisted Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) project
Partnering with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to support small-scale farmers
Developing the capacity of over 70,000 women entrepreneurs through online trainings
Providing palliatives and medications to vulnerable women
The Minister emphasized that the Ministry has been prioritizing Girl-Child Education as the pillar upon which to address the challenges confronting the society.
Hon Sulaiman-Ibrahim, therefore, urged stakeholders to collaborate in advancing the Renewed Hope Agenda, promoting equity, opportunity, and prosperity for all citizens.
As a nation, we must move beyond ethnic and regional divides to build a Nigeria that prioritizes equity, opportunity, and prosperity for every citizen, she concluded.
In a Special Remark, the Plateau State Governor, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang, urged the Federal Government to streamline the operations of orphanages in the country with a view to ensuring the well-being as well as protection of the lives of children raised therein.
Represented by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Gender, Barr. (Mrs) Olivia Daziam, he called on participants at the 4-day event to reinvigorate their commitment to ending all forms of violence against women, children, and the vulnerable in society.
Also speaking, Ambassador Gabriel Aduda, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, informed that all the Memoranda submitted to the Council were adequately considered with a view to advancing the cause of women and children in Nigeria.
While commending the Plateau State Government for its commitment to gender equality through the appointment of women to key positions in the State, he stated that the Ministry will continue to create the enabling environment for the upliftment of the women, children and the vulnerable in society, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Administration.
Highlights of the event include the Conferment of Award of Excellence on Nigerians who have contributed towards the successful implementation of the Ministry’s mandate as well as presentation of goodwill messages by UNICEF, UN Women, NCWS, among others.
Signed
Mrs Grace Njoku
Head, Information and Public Relations
