The Federal Government has inaugurated members of the steering committee for the Nigeria For Women Project (NFWP) to develop social protection instruments as mechanism to support improved livelihoods for women in targeted areas of Nigeria.
The committee is chaired by the Minister, Federal Ministry of Women Affair and Social Development, Hajia Aisha Abubakar while the secretary to the committee will be from NFWP. “The procedure steering committee would have members from MDAs, and six commissioners for Women Affairs and Social Development from the participating States and a Chairman of LGA from participating States.
The Minister, Hajia Aisha Abubakar at the inauguration on Friday in Abuja said, gender equality in Nigeria is considered to be substantive rather than merely formal explaining that formal laws that establish equal rights for men and women are not sufficient for women to realize their rights and achieve equality of outcomes.
“Achieving gender equality is only possible through alleviating the inherent disadvantage faced by women, which include addressing power inequalities and structural constraints.”
She said, it was against these problems impacting negatively on our women that her Ministry put forward a request to the World Bank and they responded and supported in designing the national programme, “NFWP” with the objective to supporting improved livelihoods for women in targeted areas which was formally approved by the Federal Executive Council in December, 2018.
Hajia Abubakar said there inauguration of the committee was to signal the commencement of project operation adding that this is the kind of event the Ministry is praying for if gender equality is to be achieved in this country.
She also said the steering committee is part of the on-going efforts of the Ministry towards the provision of a comprehensive solution to the menace of women especially livelihoods issues while assuring all that the government is determined to mitigate this and that is why they have put together the team headed by herself and to see that the project objectives and target re embedded in the Project Appraisal Document and other documents to be developed by the project, are well achieved.
The national coordinator, NFWP, Freda Bulus said, the targeted beneficiaries are women from 18 years and above and they are shared into affinity group of 12 to 15 persons adding that 18 years and above is targeted for the age group of beneficiary and the affinity group is made up of women from 18 years and above and will be in a group of 12 to 15 persons per women affinity group.
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