By Blessing Bature
BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights in partnership with the National Democratic Institute, IND, is set to implement a two- year project titled “Supporting Her Empowerment: Political Engagement, Rights, Safety, and Inclusion Strategies to Succeed” SHE PERSISTS Nigeria Project.
The project is aimed at aimed at improving women’s political participation and leadership at the local, subnational and national levels in Nigeria.
The executive director Yeye Bunmi Dipo-Salami of the BAOBAB initiative said the specific objectives of the Project are to assess and address the barriers to women’s political participation, engender transformative Partnerships and collaborations among state and non state actors, Develop a National Action Plan on Women’s Political Participation and Leadership, WPPL-NAP, and Mobilize support for the Implementation and Sustainability of the WPPL-NAP
She informed that the expected outcomes of the Project is to connect and strengthen critical state actors, especially those with the mandate for gender equality; non-state actors, particularly those focused on gender equality and women’s political participation and leadership; political institutions, including but not limited to political parties, democratic processes; and serving and past elected/appointed female politicians, including young women in political parties across the country.
“Our goal is to create a comprehensive policy document that promotes women’s political participation in Nigeria. Despite existing plans, the number of women in politics continues to decline. We aim to develop a concrete policy that fosters meaningful participation and increases the number of women in elected positions.
“Unlike previous plans, our approach will involve a coordination group comprising key stakeholders. We recognize that past plans have been criticized for lacking stakeholder engagement, resulting in a lack of awareness and ownership. By bringing everyone to the table, we ensure that all stakeholders contribute strategically to the process, guiding the development of the policy document”.
“This collaborative approach will help address the common issue of key stakeholders claiming they were not informed or involved in the process. By working together, we can create a policy document that has broad support and is more likely to be successfully implemented and advocated for.”
The BAOBAB Program Director, Ms Anne Lawal, stated that creating a National Plan for Women’s Political Participation and Leadership is specifically on increasing women’s political participation and leadership, as despite efforts, the number of women in politics continues to decline with each election cycle.
She said to address this, “we’re establishing a coordinating group comprising experts from various fields, including: Former and current government officials, Strategic communication experts, Leaders of coalitions and civil society organizations.
“This diverse group will share their experiences, knowledge, and expertise to develop a comprehensive national plan. Our goal is to identify effective strategies to increase women’s representation in government, elections, and leadership positions. By leveraging collective expertise, we aim to create a plan that will yield tangible results, ensuring that by 2027, we’ll see a significant increase in women’s political participation and leadership.”
One of the stakeholders, Mrs Adesuwa Onyenokwe said she is pleased that BAOBAB has taken on a leadership role, recognizing that addressing the issue of women’s political participation requires a collective effort beyond individual organizations or persons.
” Notably, women’s representation in political spaces like the National Assembly and Senate has declined over the past 24 years, with women now holding less than 5% of positions. I believe that BAOBAB’s collaborative approach will yield a comprehensive national action plan, marking a significant milestone in our efforts to increase women’s political participation.”
