UN Women, Nigerian media forge partnership to promote gender equality

The United Nation Women and Nigerian media executives, on Tuesday, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment across Nigeria.

The MoU focused on the current challenges impacting women’s representation in Nigerian politics and economic development, including media portrayals, barriers to political participation, and economic opportunities.

At the media engagement in Abuja, UN Women’s Country Representative to Nigeria, Ms Beatrice Eyong, highlighted that without urgent action, 342.4 million women and girls worldwide will remain in extreme poverty by 2030.

The event gathered Chief Executive Officers and Managing Directors from leading electronic, print, and digital media outlets to address the issues.

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She said: “Media is a tool that has been used over time in educating the society and accelerating behavioral change, which is a fundamental prerequisite for advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.

“We want to see the Nigerian media leading a campaign on mindset change within communities where gender inequality is entrenched, women’s voice is subdued, and the rights and aspirations of young girls are violated with impunity. Contribution from the media must therefore be deliberate, purposeful and targeted.”

In his address, the Counsellor and Head of Development Cooperation at the Canadian High Commission, Irish Irantalab Tehrani, praised the media’s role in recent elections.

Also speaking, the chairman of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) and Chairman of Media Trust Group, Mal. Kabiru Yusuf, said women empowerment is critical to the growth and development of the country, stressing that the media industry in Nigeria is already at the forefront of the campaign.

Mal. Yusuf, who was represented by the General Editor of Daily Trust Newspaper,  Hamza Idris, said, “Women are already occupying critical positions in various newsrooms which show the commitment to women empowerment and growth.”

He added that Media Trust Group in particular is advancing growth and development of women across the country and beyond.