An inclusive political system where the voices of all citizens, particularly women, youth, and people with disabilities (PWDs), are heard is what the Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA) group has advocated.
Additionally, the voices must be represented in the nation’s leadership and decision-making systems, according to WRAPA.
This request was made at a community engagement on gender involvement during elections in Ogun-East.
DAILY POST reports that the participants were drawn from Ijebu-Ode, Ijebu North, Ijebu East, Odogbolu and Ijebu North-East local government areas of the state.
The session themed, ‘Building a Future with Women: Where Equity, Participation, and Representation Thrive’, was centered on enhancing women’s involvement in politics with a focus on promoting equity, participation and representative governance.
Delivering her keynote address, Mrs Taiwo Adebanjo, the Executive Director of Ray of Hope Community Foundation, and zonal coordinator of 100 women group, harped on how critical it is for women to participate actively and inclusively in Nigerian politics.
According to Adebanjo, the event’s main goals were to identify the key obstacles preventing women from taking on leadership roles and participating in politics, as well as to create action points to support female candidates and promote gender-inclusive elections.
“We must recognize the role that women play in politics and government,” she stated. to identify the main obstacles to women’s political leadership and participation, as well as to acknowledge the terms of the Uwais Electoral Reform and National Gender Policy.
“We will create action items to promote gender-inclusive elections and assist female candidates.”
The event included interactive sessions where attendees were invited to share their opinions on a variety of topics, including the role of citizens in fostering inclusive leadership, the strength of the women’s voting bloc, and the present political realities impacting women in Nigeria.
It was organized by WRAPA, sponsored by MacArthur Foundation in partnership with Gender Development Initiative (GenDi), 100 Women Group, and Network for Inclusion of Women with Disabilities (NEIEPWD).
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