Business
‘Women Exclusion From Digital World Costs $1trn Worldwide’
The exclusion of women in the digital world has resulted in a whooping loss of $1trillion in the economies of developing nations in the last decade.
Chairman of the “MMS Hall of Famers’ Initiative”, Amb. Dr. Unyime-Ivy King, stated this during part of events to commemorate the 2024 “International Women’s Day” in Lagos State.
Making a presentation as Chairman of the occasion, with the theme, “Inspire Inclusion of Amazons”, Amb. King said the loss will increase by 50 percent in 2025 if nothing is done in this regard.
According to her, “Beside economic benefits, enhancing women’s safety and equal access to digital technologies, she noted that women-to-women support ranks as the greatest catalyst in achieving gender balancing.
Urging women over the world to reject the primitive customs that confines them to the kitchen, she said, “When we inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion, we forge a better world. And, when women themselves are inspired to be included, there’s a sense of belonging, relevance and empowerment. Today, we are here to applaud them.
“One of our struggles is the sparse number of women in positions of power. From corporate boardrooms, to the courts and political leadership around the world, the small percentage of women in senior positions continues to stymie progress on issues from pay to humanitarian aid to discrimination in all its forms.
“The sooner we understand that the small number of women in leadership roles holds back not only women, but all people, the sooner we will be able to advance society as a whole”.
She emphasized that “the biggest challenge facing women today is patriarchy. This is especially evident in the realm of politics. Regardless of a woman’s experience, education or abilities, the patriarchal nature of the society fosters the perception that women are less qualified and less competent than men.
“What patriarchy has done is convince people that a strong and intelligent woman represents a problem; a disruption to the social order rather than an integral part of it. It is, therefore, no coincidence that many countries are completely out of step when it comes to electing a woman as President”.
Speaking further, she noted that Africa is notorious for creating the greatest challenge to the emancipation of women, especially in political leadership, saying that the era where women were confined to the background as domestic and family caretakers was over.
“While women have maintained the highest office of leadership in Liberia, India, the United Kingdom, Croatia, Dominica, to mention a few, the same cannot be said in Africa or globally. I believe the time has come for more women to get into top leadership positions in this country in various sectors”, she said.
She applauded women that have been selected to be inducted into the MMS Plus Hall of Famers, and urged them to be the torchbearer of gender balancing and empowerment.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), MMS Woman of Furtune Hall of Fame Initiative, Mr. Kingsley Anaroke, said the theme of this year’s IWD is “Inspire Inclusion”, saying it’s “a muse that has provided another moment of sober reflection on the struggles over decades on gender diversity and request for the elimination of the inhibitive streams of bias and stereotypes.
Continue Reading
The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the management will continue to accompany its port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive with the development of the welfare of its personnel.
Dantsoho made the disclosure recently while responding to the commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) on the clearing of the age-long problem of employee stagnation, when the union paid him a courtesy visit at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos.
A Statement by NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, quoted Dantsoho as saying, “our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand-in-hand with continuous staff welfare improvement”.
The NPA MD disclosed that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch, adding that “talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness.
“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”
Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.
“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he sad.
Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Comrade Bodunde stated, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Elder Olumide Fakanlu, has been elected Vice President of the Federation of ECOWAS Licensed Customs Brokers Association (FELCBA).
The election took place during the FELCBA Congress, held from Tuesday, June 17th to Thursday, June 19th, 2025, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Fakanlu’s emergence as Vice President marks a significant achievement for Nigeria within the regional customs brokerage community.
Apart from Fakanlu, Secretary of the Seme Chapter of ANLCA, Austin Nwosu, was also elected, securing the role of Secretary of Relations with Institutions.
The Nigerian delegation played an active role in the congress, with Michael Ebeatu nominated as a member of the electoral officer team, ensuring a fair and transparent election process.
The three-day congress concluded with delegates undertaking a visit to the Sierra Leone Port, offering insights into the host nation’s maritime operations, followed by a recreational trip to the Tokeh Beach.
The newly elected executives are expected to lead FELCBA in its efforts to harmonize customs brokerage practices, promote trade facilitation, and advocate for the interests of licensed customs brokers across the ECOWAS sub-region.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
In a bid to enhance more enforcement in the nation’s Port, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to stronger inter-agency collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The Council said the collaboration is aimed at enhancing stronger enforcement, compliance and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s ports.
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, made this known during a visit to the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The visit, which he said, focused on strengthening institutional synergy, comes in the wake of growing responsibilities for the NSC under the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Akutah emphasized the critical role of security agencies in supporting port operations and ensuring regulatory compliance.
He called for the posting of police officers to assist the Council’s monitoring and enforcement teams at key port locations including Lagos, Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.
“The posting will complement the activities of our revived task teams and enhance our ability to enforce standards across the maritime logistics chain”, he said.
Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun, assured the Council of the Force’s readiness to continue supporting the growth of the maritime sector.
The IGP acknowledged that compliance enforcement is essential to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Blue Economy objectives.
“The NSC and NPF are expected to deepen collaboration in the months ahead, with a shared focus on building a secure, efficient, and competitive port environment”, to the IGP emphasized.
Chinedu Wosu