Opportunities abound for women aspiring to venture into the huge investment space in Nigeria as the country joins the rest of the world to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) today, March 8.
IWD 2020 with this year’s theme ‘I am generation equality #Eachforequal’ highlights several initiatives to help forge a gender-equal world.
The core message of #EachForEqual, the campaign at the centre of this year’s International Women’s Day, is that gender inequality is not a women’s issue, but an economic one, as gender equality is essential for economies and communities to thrive.
“Women should rise above any form of inferiority complex and low esteem, identify their innate talents, build self-confidence, and step up to the plate,” said Ebere Agbogun, managing director and chief executive officer, capital market subsidiaries, NOVA Merchant Bank Limited, while speaking in commemoration of IWD at the head office, Lagos.
According to her, this day has been set aside as International Women’s Day since 1945. This special time of the year emphasis gender quality among other values that enhance the inclusiveness of women in the workplace, society and politics.
“It emphasis the need to recognise and reinforce the potential of women across the spheres of life; from the family units to larger units, stating that while gender inequality appears a subsiding issue among societies and culture there has been remarkable improvement in recent years as women take on roles and job functions hitherto considered as the special preserve of men,” Agbogun, maintained.
Agbogun added that gender parity is a collective responsibility and that women as much as men have the responsibility of ensuring a greater sense of acceptance of the female folks in the society by encouraging one another through advocacy for girl child education, empowerment, and inclusion of women across endeavours.
“Equality is a global enabler which means that the world can never be enabled without women. A positive sense of self-assurance, self confidence, achiever mentality, doggedness, and undoubting dispositions are some of the attributes parents, guidance and format should inculcate in the girl-child so that as they will grow up and into these attributes, they are able to compete favourably with the male folks and together gender parity can be achieved and the world would be the better for it,” she said.
Also speaking Funke Okoya, head of corporate banking in NOVA Merchant Bank Limited, said that getting women into power will help achieve and stabilise gender parity in the society, women are responsible, extremely special and can multi-task.
“Women are engaged with works that are very demanding and they thrive very well when they see support,” she said.
Okoya advised that younger ladies should be deliberate in getting a man who is very supportive, saying the woman will be more successful and is an achiever.
She further advised that women should learn how to think positive and abundant, and building their confidence with knowledge. “Women should not give up; life is a journey and should be enjoyed.”
And by celebrating women’s achievement, raising awareness of their health was not left behind. Mistura Olowookere, a medical doctor at Marina Medical HMO said that women’s health cannot be over looked in the society.
“There is an urgent need for women to pay attention on their health, as about 70 percent of depression cases are from women.
“Women are not weaker people, they do not give up easily but at the point, your body calls for rest, please ensure to do and seek medical attention. Avoid ignoring that assumption that you are okay medically or mentally,” she advised.
ANTHONIA OBOKOH
