Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), an NGO, has trained no fewer than 120 gender desk officers on implementation of the revised National Gender Policy on Thursday in Abuja.
Mrs Zainab Abdurasheed, the Programme Officer for the organisation’s “Improving Electoral Integrity and Accountability (IEIA)” project,
said the training was carried out under the WRAPA IEIA project.
Among those who participated in the four-day training were permanent secretaries and directors of various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
According to her, the project, supported by the MacArthur Foundation, is aimed at bridging the gender gaps that exists in the society.
She said that integrating the gender policy into all sectors of the economy would bring about national development and ensure that women,
men, children and marginalised groups access required minimum welfare provisions.
Abdurasheed added that “on this project, we have a bit that speaks to the implementation of the National Gender Policy.
“The 2006 National Gender Policy was reviewed in 2021, approved by the Federal Executive Council in March 2022.
“Following this development, we organised several follow up strategies to ensure that the uptake of the policy is taken seriously
across all sectors of the Nigerian society.
“One of the strategy is to help gender desk officers in MDAs, permanent secretaries and directors to improve their knowledge of the revised
policy in a bid to help them integrate the provisions in their everyday operations as key stakeholders.”
On her part, Prof. Olabisi Aina, a gender expert and programme facilitator, said the policy is to protect not just women but vulnerable groups and all Nigerians.
Aina, a lecturer at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, said the policy is people-centered, expected to be used in every sector of the economy.
She added that “marginalised groups in the society are not just women, there are those who live with one form of disability or the other, and the aged.
“This new policy stands on three main pillars and one of which is to ensure that men and women have access to opportunities.
“Your sex does not matter; the bottom line is that you are a human being and should have access to opportunities.
“Another pillar looks at women empowerment, so that we can reduce the gap between men and women.
“The third is social Inclusion, that those who are in the peripheries of development are brought to the centre, so that at the end of the day,
we will be able to mainstream this interest into development; that is what this policy is all about.”
A participant, Mrs Naibi Usman, a gender desk officer from Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, thanked
WRAPA for the training, saying that the knowledge gained would enhance her work as desk officer in the ministry.
NAN
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