Olaolu Olusina
6 October 2008
opinion
Lagos — It couldn't have come at a better time and it is generally believed that the forthcoming Women in Politics and Government (WINPOGOV) Conference and Awards 2008 scheduled to hold in the Nigeria's capital, Abuja this month, really holds a lot for Nigerian women. An initiative of the Lagos-based Alpha Institute, a non-government, non-partisan and non-profit organisation, in collaboration with the Nigerian Network of Non-Governmental Organisations(NNNGOs), it is strategically designed to address issues that are germane to the global efforts at promoting gender equality and empowerment of women .The overarching objective, however, is to properly position women as catalysts for development.
It is important to note that the Nigerian conference is the first of its kind in the sub-region and is coming as preparation for the sixth African Development Forum (ADF V1) scheduled to hold in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, hots up. Earlier in August, over 25 ministers and three deputy ministers converged for the Africa Union (AU)-United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)-organised conference of Ministers of Gender and Women Affairs, a collaboration between the Women, Gender and Development Directorate (WGDD) of the AU and the African Centre for Gender and Social Development (ACGS) of UNECA.
And just before the August meeting, recent regional meetings had highlighted the emergence of new challenges on the continent with potential to deepen and widen existing gender inequalities.These issues include, but are not limited to, climate change, increasing energy prices as well as the rising food crisis.
Analysts therefore believe that the Nigerian women should not be left out of the global movement even as many gender activists are of the view that now is the best time to empower the women not only in politics but in governance as well.
Executive Director, NNNGO, Ms. Yemisi Ransome-Kuti , who is also a member of the Advisory Boards of Alpha Institute and WINPOGOV said the concept of the forthcoming conference is original, stressing that it is one that focusses on the challenges that face women in politics and governance.
"We pay lip-service to the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) regarding gender parity, gender equality and as stated in several international fora that women are the bedrock of nation-building, and without the effective participation of women, then, we cannot have balanced development," she told THISDAY. "WINPOGOV is the dream child of Alpha Institute and NNNGO who saw this as a noble ideal to empower women who are in the governance and political arena," she added.
According to Ms. Ransome-Kuti, "the conference is not only to empower them (women) in terms of skills, opportunities to network and improve their capabilities as role models and in whatever position they find themselves, but to actually bring home the fact that they have a huge responsibility to foster an environment where women, children and men can fulfil their potential," stressing that "it is critical that we do provide the environment."
She disclosed further that the conference "would highlight those skills that we need as women to overcome the challenges of the male-dominated political field that we have." Maintaining that the conference is not only for women but for all stakeholders in development, Ms. Ransome-Kuti said: "We want to take the practice of governance in Nigeria to the next level where equal opportunities are provided for everyone, be he male or female to achieve his or her potential."
Programme Officer, Development Initiative Network (DIN) and member of the WINPOGOV 2008 Organising Committee, Mrs. Dede Kadiri, also spoke on the expectations at the conference which holds at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja between October 13 and 16. "Expect women in politics who have made a difference in Nigeria. Women who have made a difference in politics and government abroad . Confirmed speakers include Deputy Speaker of the United States Congress, Karen De Lancy; the first black female member of the British Parliament, Dianne Abbot; a four-time Minister in India, Maneka Ghandi and other local speakers," Mrs Kadiri revealed to THISDAY.
According to her: "We are bringing them into the conference so that women in Nigeria who are presently in politics, government and those aspiring to be part of politics and governance can learn from these people." While maintaining that the past administration did very well by bringing women into the leadership position in the country, Mrs Kadiri said that now, "by virtue of the National Policy on Women and the new National Gender Policy , there is 30 percent affirmative action for women in politics to encourage their full participation."
Nigeria, she however lamented, has fallen short of this target, stressing that the essence of this conference is to meet up and even move beyond the 30 percent. She noted that South Africa has moved up to 50 percent and Uganda is aspiring to become the first Africa nation where the number of female representatives in parliament outnumber the male.
Providing more insight into the event and what actually informed the decision of his organisation to come up with such idea, Chief Executive Officer, Alpha Institute, Mr. Henry Balogun , said the men have had it for so long and "for too long , the Nigerian woman has been on the menu."
According to him, "we should not transfer our traditional mentality into national mentality and cannot continue to say let the men do it , adding "what we need to do is to empower the women and even compel them to understand how decisions are made in politics and government."
Alpha Institute, he said, is about leadership, governance and ethics "and so we are bringing in women who have championed the cause of positive Nigeria." The idea, according to Balogun , is to get some substantial representation of women in private and public sectors to give a meaning to "what is the role and what should be the role of women in the society."
Executive Director, Metamorphosis and member of WINPOGOV, Mrs Deola Asabia, also stressed the importance of the conference. She said the International Financial Corporations (IFCs) such as Goldman Sachs and others are recognising that the potential of women, especially in Africa, which is an emerging economy, have not been unleashed.
According to Mrs Asabia, this is so because women have not been given access to proper advisory skills especially in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The conference, she therefore said, is also to give a platform to these women and attempt to teach them the dictates of democracy so that they can be effective .This, she said, will be done by equipping them with what they need for the challenges of governance and politics.
Secretary-General of NNNGO, Mr. Ayo Adebusoye, said the overriding goal of the conference is affirmative action for women. "They need to be represented, if we can get them empowered, it would have an impact on the MDGs," he stated.
It is worthy to note that multilateral organisations are daily stressing the need for nation states to remain committed to achieving the goals of the MDG number three which is gender equality.
Rising from the 58th session of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Committtee for Africa which held in Yaounde, Cameroon, WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Linus Sambo , called for improved health facilities for women as a link to development in all countries.
He said the action plan should include the integration of women's issues into national policies and programmes. Sambo also called for an urgent need to strengthen the capacity of women, families and communities with a view to empowering women by setting up a national multi-disciplinary team of experts in health, gender and human rights to conduct research on issues specific to women health.
Ransome-Kuti was therefore right when she reaffirmed the desire of Nigeria to be part of the world in 2020. "We want to be part of the world in 2020 because at the moment, we are not even on the radar," she said, adding: "And to leap-frog to that level, we have to let go off a lot of constructs and ideologies."
WINPOGOV 2008, according to her, will bring international participants who have in their countries gone through the same change and reforms that Nigeria is trying to go through. "They would be able to come and share with us and open-up the mind-set of both male and female to understand how other countries have leap-frogged," she disclosed.
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