2023 IWD: Early Empowerment, Panacea To Economic Emancipation For Women – Olori Atuwatse III

As the world on Wednesday, March 8 marked the International Women’s Day (IWD), the Olori Atuwatse III of Warri Kingdom has stressed the imperativeness of early empowerment for women, noting that such hold key towards achieving and sustaining economic emancipation of women.

The Warri Queen, therefore, advocated for an institutional framework that will fast-track policies aimed at expanding the social economic potentials of women in Nigeria and world over.

The wife of the Warri monarch, who was recently appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari to serve as a member of the High Level Advisory Committee (HLAC) on Women Economic Empowerment and Gender in Nigeria, spoke at an interactive dinner and networking session held at the prestigious Wells Carlton Hotels & Apartments in Abuja to mark the 2023 IWD.

The women and child advocate also decried low women representation in political positions in Nigeria and appealed to the incoming administration to take a cue from other climes with fair share for women in key political positions.

She disclosed that addressing some of the challenges against women’s development, her husband, the Olu of Warri and herself, established the Royal Iwere Foundation with the aim of upscaling and advancing women and child empowerment in Warri Kingdom of Delta State.

“Often, when we talk about economic and social empowerment, we concentrate on women who are already in the labour force. While this is good, early empowerment is better. I am an advocate in the power of early empowerment, we must start from girlhood. We must start with education, sensitisation, and breaking the barriers that hold young girls back from knowing their potential early on.

“For decades, access to education has changed women’s lives globally, empowering many to realize their career potential, and saving many from oppressive socio-economic situations.

“The more we invest in girl-child education, the likelier it is that all Nigerian girls will grow into economically empowered women. Besides achieving early empowerment by creating access to Montessori and STEM education for children, RIF is sustaining empowerment through its skills institute.

“Currently, in Nigeria, women makeup less than 10% of our political representatives. This means we are not reflected nearly enough in the process that makes political and economic decisions that shape our lives.

“Some governments across the world have instituted policies and laws to improve representation, and I hope with the forthcoming administration, Nigeria will follow suit and have stricter laws that do the same. Greater female representation in government will go a long way in creating an enabling and sustaining environment for women’s social and economic empowerment,” she stated.

Another speaker, Mr Ahmed Modibbo, the Managing Director, Highland Disco Acquisition Company Limited, opined that giving equal opportunity to women at workplace makes them usually more productive especially when they’re on board of organisations.

He said, “Presence of women on the board has contributed immense growth to the company, ensuring peace and chemistry.

“Most of companies that have women on board have performed 21% better than those without women on board because of attention to details, thoroughness and mix management.

“The more women you have on board, the more it creates motivation to the employees to work hard to attain the same position.”

LEADERSHIP reports that the 2023 International Women’s Day was celebrated with the theme: ‘DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality’.