The House of Representatives has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UN Women to increase female participation in governance.
Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, represented by Deputy Speaker Rep., Benjamin Kalu, announced the partnership on Thursday in Abuja, highlighting its aim to support the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill and the Bill on Women’s Parliamentary Seats.
Abbas emphasized the importance of extending advocacy beyond the parliament to rural areas, helping constituents understand the benefits of greater female representation.
He called for capacity building and sensitization efforts to encourage women to support female candidates and contribute to national development.
UN Women’s Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong, noted the current underrepresentation of women in Nigeria’s National Assembly and federal cabinet.
She stressed the need for Nigeria to improve its standing in women’s representation in governance and reaffirmed UN Women’s commitment to this cause.
“This is the challenge we must all work together to surmount.” Eyong said, expressing confidence in the partnership’s potential to foster significant change.