The Women in Leadership Coalition, a group of women’s rights advocates and organisations, is working to push for modern labour reform and increase female representation in government and boardrooms.
The coalition made this known during a press briefing in Isale Eko, Lagos, on Friday.
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The Women in Leadership Coalition includes the Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), Women in Leadership and Women in Career.
The executive director of WIMBIZ, Omowunmi Akingbohungbe, said the coalition is gathering data on the current state of female representation in states’ cabinets and plans to publish a document highlighting the status of each state.
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Ms Akingbohungbe stated that WIMBIZ is advocating for a minimum of 16 weeks of paid maternity leave, 14 days of paternity leave, and 35 per cent female representation on the boards of listed organisations and at all levels of government.
“This is a body (NGF) that has regular engagement with the state governors, and even has some meetings scheduled where all the parties involved will be there,” she said.
“So right now, what we are doing is a collection of data. Let’s even have a document published to show the status of all the state cabinets currently. How many females do they have in this cabinet?
“Do they even have any policy in place to drive this now? When we have that collated, we will make it public.”
Ms Akingbohungbe said the coalition aims to secure commitment from state governors on increasing female representation and showcasing states that have made progress in this area, adding that Lagos State has made significant strides in female representation.
This effort comes as Nigeria continues to grapple with low female representation in government, despite constitutional provisions and policy frameworks aimed at promoting equality.
Legal sector
Ms Akingbohungbe also highlighted the organisation’s focus on the legal industry, mentoring programmes, and a collaboration with other women-focused NGOs to advocate for gender representation in leadership.
She noted that after identifying some gaps, they discovered a significant disparity, noting that women constitute less than five per cent of all Senior Advocates in Nigeria.
She said they had a series of engagements with law firms, judges, councils of corporate organisations, just to understand the legal sector.
However, they found out that many female lawyers require mentorship to prepare them for the journey ahead.
“We embarked on a mentoring programme over three months,” she said.
“We had over 2000 female lawyers across Nigeria register for this mentoring programme, and they had intense engagement, even one-on-one with veterans in the industry.”
Annual conference
Meanwhile, Ms Akingbohungbe announced the 24th annual WIMBIZ conference, taking place on 6 and 7 November. The conference is themed “Own, Walk, Nurture” (OWN), encouraging women to own their stories, walk in power, and nurture the future.
She said the event aims to empower women through networking, mentoring, and professional development.
She noted that registration for the conference will close by 17 October to ensure a seamless experience.
Key speakers expected at the high-level event include Bimbola Wright, the chairperson of WIMBIZ 2025 conference planning committee, Amina Ogi, a judge and Arunma Oteh, a financial expert.
READ ALSO: WIMBIZ seeks strategic alliance with Head of Civil Service of the Federation to drive female mentorship in public service
“The objective is really cross-fertilisation, where the more seasoned professionals are learning and picking up from the creativity and innovative mindset of the younger ones, and the younger demographic is also benefiting from the depth of experience of the older demographic,” Ms Wright said.
The conference will feature four plenary sessions on wellness, retirement, intergenerational collaboration, and a women’s debate on access versus certification.
On her part, Rolake Akinlugbe-Filani, a member of the board of trustees, explained further that the annual conference is a foundation for women to launch and learn from “those who have gone before us.”
Mrs Akinlugbe-Filani, noted that delegates from the UK, Saudi Arabia, Canada and others would be attending the conference.
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