In a move aimed at supporting women to rise above societal and cultural limitations in business and other areas, the Lagos State Government, on Tuesday, launched a roadmap tagged ‘Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) policy.
The policy is anchored on five critical pillars – Education and Skill Acquisition, Traditional Labour Market, Emerging Industries, Agriculture, and Entrepreneurship. It is also designed to bridge extant gender gaps, strengthen financial inclusion, promote digital and technological equity, and advance women’s leadership in critical sectors.
Unveiling the policy at the Muson Centre, the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said that the roadmap aligned not only with Lagos’ developmental agenda but also with national policy frameworks and global commitments such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Sanwo-Olu, at the event which also attracted his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, and his wife, Oluremi Hamzat, who represented Sanwo-Olu’s wife, Ibijoke, noted that the policy marked a pivotal step towards empowering women to contribute more to society.
“This participatory approach helped shape a contextual and inclusive understanding of who a woman is in Lagos State: a woman is not only defined by her biology but also by her social, cultural, and economic realities. Her aspirations and challenges, from youth to old age, must be central to the policies we design.
“This policy, therefore, proposes innovative solutions that challenge socio-cultural barriers and implement gender-responsive governance based on data-driven strategies.”
Also speaking at the event, Bolaji Cecilia Dada, the Lagos State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, outlined actionable strategies to drive and actualise the objectives of the policy. These, according to the commissioner, include expansion of women’s access to finance, digital platforms, market linkages, and entrepreneurial support.
Others are breaking down of gender stereotypes that inhibit women’s participation in high-growth and non-traditional industries, address socio-cultural and infrastructural limitations that restrict women’s progress, especially at the grassroots, empower women in the informal sector with tools, protections and capacity to operate sustainably, prioritise inclusion of vulnerable groups, including women living with form with disabilities, among others.
On her part, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Minister of Women Affairs, represented by Agness Abraham, decried the unfair representation of women in government, particularly in the National Assembly, and sought a reversal of the trend in the overall interest of society.
