The need to empower Nigerian women with the skills set required to assume leadership positions within the business ecosystem across the country served as the focal point of the speakers at Nigeria Info’s 2022 Glass Ceiling Conference.
The speakers – the British High Commission’s Political Counsellor, Jonathan Bacon; Co-founder, ImpactHER, Efe Ukala; Co-founder and General Partner, FirstCheck Africa, Eloho Omame; Policy Programmes Manager for Africa, Meta, Simbo Olatoregun; Chief Economist, Coronation Merchant Bank, Chinwe Egwim; Chief Executive Officer, Herconomy, Ifedayo Durosinmi-Etti; and Founder, Chef Obubu, Christine Obute Otigba – noted that there is a critical need to identify the obstacles hindering women from owning successful and scalable business enterprises within the Nigerian-economic landscape.
The Glass Ceiling conference, which is a brainchild of the Glass Ceiling Show on Nigeria Info, is a platform designed to support the global celebration of International Women’s Day while also x-traying the issues of female inclusion within the Nigerian socio-economic and political ecosystem.
Commenting on the need for organisations to support female inclusions. Jonathan Bacon, the British High Commission’s Political Counsellor, noted that women play an integral role in driving essential changes.
“This is made evident when he said, “Employers should strive to create a culture where people, especially women, can flourish while also ensuring that a support system is developed within the structure of the workplace.
“This is considered to be necessary because the British Government has recognised that women and girls play a critical in promoting economic growth which will invariably lift millions of people out of poverty on a global scale.”
He further noted that the British Government’s desire to champion conversations around the inclusion of women is hinged on the fact that women’s rights are human rights.
“This could be seen when he said, “Our action for women inclusion is guarded by three E’s – educating the girl child; empowering women socio-economically and politically; ending violence against women and girls.
“These three E’s underpin the developmental works the British Government is carrying out across Nigeria.”
To support the entrepreneurial activities of Nigerian women, Jonathan Bacon noted that 74 million pounds have been dedicated by the British Government to aid the upscaling of women-owned businesses across the country.
This is made evident when he said, “During the recent visit of Vicky Ford, the UK Minister for Africa, to Nigeria in February 2022, she announced a new £74 million (41.6 billion naira) financial package to support women entrepreneurs across Nigeria who are facing disproportionate barriers to business.
This aims to upscale the business operations of female entrepreneurs, as well as improve the Nigerian economy.”
Urging women to break the bias within the Nigerian business landscape, Efe Ukala, the Founder of ImpactHER, advised women to have a structured plan in order to surmount the challenges they might encounter.
“This is reflected when she said, “Breaking the bias in the boardroom requires you as a woman to rise to the top irrespective of the challenges on the way. This will need you to have a strong purpose as it is a critical factor in helping you to know what you want to achieve.
“This will help you to engage in frequent self-assessment so as to discover how you can make remarkable contributions within the corporate world.”
The Glass Ceiling Convention is a social-driven intervention of Nigeria Info that aims to champion advocacies around women empowerment through striking strategic partnerships with globally-recognised organisations.
