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General News of Friday, 26 March 2021

Source: guardian.ng

World will be better off with female leadership - UN

United Nations United Nations

The United Nations (UN) Women has said that the world would be in a better place with women holding key leadership positions.

The organisation said that most nations had more women leading key positions.
It said that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was minimal in countries headed by women.

The UN Women Deputy Country Representative, Mr Lansana Wonneh, made the submissions at the launch of the coalition and presentation of the collaborative framework on increased women’s leadership in COVID-19 response and recovery efforts in Kaduna State on March 25, 2021.

“If you look at the intervention and prevention of the COVID-19, Kaduna has done well. If you look at countries headed by women, the impact of COVID-19 has been minimal.
“If we have women in leadership positions, the better we can be. The more we have women in positions, the more prosperous that nation or community can be,” he said.

He explained that Kaduna State is one of the most gender-sensitive states in the country.

He said that UN Women was committed to ensuring women are empowered for a multiplying effect.

Wonneh stressed that there is the need to end cases of gender-based violence in Nigeria, charging men to take responsibility in ending it.

He wondered why micro and small enterprises are majorly controlled by women while the bigger ones are run by men, assuring that UN Women is committed to ending the imbalance.

Wonneh, who congratulated the Kaduna State government for setting an example with a woman as the head of the COVID-19 taskforce, advised that younger women should be included in the decision-making process.

“There is a need for gender inclusiveness in parliament and other key sectors. Nigeria is the least in terms of empowering women. Women in Nigeria hold only five per cent in terms of lawmakers in Nigeria despite having about 50 per cent of the population,” he said.

He urged Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai to influence other governors and by extension, the Federal Government, to give women more opportunities.

“To women, it is only when you see yourselves as one constituency that you can make the desired impact,” he advised.