Women’s empowerment economic strategy, not charity, Mahmoud says

By Stanley Onyekwere

The Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, has called for greater and sustained investment in women as a critical strategy for Nigeria’s economic transformation.

Mahmoud made the call while delivering a goodwill message at the Second National Gender Inclusion Conference, held at the Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

She stressed that women are indispensable contributors to national development as entrepreneurs, farmers, professionals, innovators, employers and community leaders, but continue to face barriers to finance, markets, land, technology, skills and decision-making.

According to her, women’s economic empowerment should be treated not merely as a social intervention but as an economic strategy, requiring sustainable access to affordable finance, digital financial services, business development support, insurance and markets.

In a statement from Austine Elemue, her SA Media, Mahmoud also advocated strong institutions, gender-responsive budgeting, reliable data and effective monitoring and evaluation, emphasising that “nothing about women should be designed without women.”

She highlighted the FCT Administration’s commitment to inclusive development through skills acquisition, entrepreneurship, social investment, community development and infrastructure, noting that roads, transportation, markets, water, healthcare, electricity and safe public spaces significantly influence women’s economic opportunities.

The Minister urged the private sector, financial institutions, development partners, civil society and community leaders to play stronger roles in removing barriers to women’s participation in the economy.

She called on stakeholders to move beyond resolutions and measure success by the scale of financing reaching women, the efficiency of institutions, the reach of programmes to underserved communities and the actual economic outcomes achieved.

She commended the Office of the Technical Adviser to the President on Economic and Financial Inclusion and the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs for convening stakeholders to develop practical solutions for translating gender inclusion policies into measurable economic outcomes for Nigerian women.

Mahmoud expressed confidence that sustained collaboration and deliberate investment in women would strengthen families, communities and the Nigerian economy, and wished participants fruitful deliberations and concrete outcomes.