By Hassan Zaggi
The recently inaugurated 56-member national High-Level Advisory Committee (H-LAC) on women’s economic empowerment will bring inclusive governance in Nigeria.
The Executive Director, development Research and Projects Center (dRPC), Dr Judith-Ann Walker, who is a member of the committee disclosed this on Friday.
It would be recalled that the Committee is set up to support Nigerian women and girls in economic development.
A Non Governmental Organisation- dRPC will provide technical expertise to H-LAC around issues of inclusive and accountable implementation of WEE programs at national and sub-national levels.
Dr Judith-Ann said that the Committee is significant and important, especially, in the context of recent failed attempts to pass gender-focused laws to redress economic, political, and social imbalances against women and girls in the country.
According to Dr Judith-Ann, the committee was set up to serve as a veritable bridge between administrations on key development issues affecting women and girls.
The issues, she said, include girls’ education, technical and life skills as contained in the Adolescent Girls Initiatives for Learning and Empowerment, AGILE project; and women’s economic empowerment, as contained in Nigeria for Women Scale-up program.
She stressed that: ‘’The High-level Advisory Council seems set to emerge as Nigeria’s first multi-stakeholder, a non-political advisory body, bridging political administrations on an issue for which all Nigerians are united – ending poverty, vulnerability, and the struggles of Nigerian women and girls.
“With representation from key government MDAs in H-LAC and with the H-LAC Secretariat structured around an Inter-ministerial Working Group (IWG), the Council is well institutionalized within the government.”
Dr Judith-Ann explained that H-LAC’ strong roots within government is complemented by representation from the private sector, civil society, as well as social and technical experts.
She added that social and technical experts will bring skills and information to loop learning and interaction between the women’s economic empowerment policy and the women’s economic empowerment projects such as the Nigerian for women empowerment initiative.
‘’Civil society organizations such as the dRPC which is implementing the flagship Partnership for Advancing Women in Economic Development (PAWED), funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will bring technical expertise to the H-LAC’’ she said
While commending President Muhammadu Buhari and the Women’s Affairs Minister, Dame Pauline Tallen for setting up the committee, Dr Judith-Ann disclosed that the dRPC will provide technical expertise to H-LAC around issues of inclusive and accountable implementation of WEE programs at national and sub-national levels.
Findings shows that a veteran journalist, Chief Moji Makanjuola, is a member of the committee.
