The Federal Government yesterday said it was committed to implementing gender smart policies geared toward improving the participation of women in key sectors of the economy.
Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Folasade Yemi-Esan, gave the assurance while declaring open a one-day Conference on Women in Oil and Gas Industry in Lagos.
The conference, organised by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), had “Mainstreaming Women in the Oil and Gas Industry” as its theme.
Yemi-Esan said that Nigerian women had flourished under the goodwill of President Muhammadu Buhari, who had led by example through the appointment of women into key governance and economic positions.
She urged both states and local government councils to emulate the President by creating opportunities for capable women in their areas and ensuring their participation in governance.
According to her, effective implementation of gender-related policies is dependent on actions taken by women to acquire technical skills and the needed competence when the opportunity arises.
“I implore all stakeholders to collaborate with the Federal Government through the mass media and the traditional media, to re-echo the message to the communities on the need to support women and young girls to pursue technical courses and leadership aspirations,’’ she said.
Also, , Managing Director, Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) Mrs Hadiza Usman said the inclusion of more women in governance was one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which was being pursued by the government.
Usman said the challenges being faced by women in various professional fields were enormous but were surmountable, especially with mentoring programmes like the conference.