Mariam Sanni
A Non- Governmental Organizations, NGO known as ACE charity has called for constitutional laws, such as Land Reform Act, to promote property ownership for women.
The Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at ACE Charity, Vivian Ejike made this suggestion in an interview with pressmen at the round table discussion themed,”Transforming the Business Landscape For Rural Women through Inclusive Economic Development,” held in Abuja.
She explained that women face barriers such as inequality and limited access to resources, including land.
Ejike added that cultural and religious settings often confine women to household duties, limiting their economic participation.
She discussed the role of government policies in promoting women’s economic participation.
According to her. communities need to legislate property rights for women to ensure equal access to resources.
She stated that representation of women in political positions is crucial to address women’s economic challenges effectively.
“The House of Representative have what it takes to pass some laws that can actually alter the fate of women in a positive way.For instance, land reforms. I don’t know if there’s a Land Reform Act, but that’s something that we can actually do, or the government can take up, to be able to create laws that promote the property ownership of women.
“ I think there are some laws that are against property ownership, and so we need the government to be able to set laws in place that women can hold, both at different levels.So we also need these communities where they are to be able to give property rights to women.
“So we need it to be legislated, passed into law that women can own lands, women can own properties, women can have equal access to resources to women. So we do believe that if it is something that the government can actually pass into law, then it will also help women to be able to benefit more in the economic participation.
“Also, I think it is necessary for women to be better represented in politics, not just for participation, but also representation, because sometimes the men can only partially give information about what women are going through but if there are women representing us at the helm of affairs, they can say for sure what the problem is when it comes to women accessing economic opportunities,”she said
Ejike while discussing the organisation economic program called “Women Microcredit Program” which was aimed at economically empowering rural women in Nigeria, explained that program provides interest-free loans to women entrepreneurs, with 75% of rural women and 80% of food producers being female.
According to her , ACE Charity addresses economic issues through digital training, financial management education, and formal banking access, leading to a high savings rate among participants.
She added that over 500 women have directly benefited, with 2,000 indirect beneficiaries, and the program aims to expand its reach.
Ejike stated that the program started in 2021 is to address the critical issue of access to finance for rural women.
According to her, the government should ensure gender mainstreaming in in state budget.
“The core of the program is the women microcredit project, providing small, interest-free loans to rural women entrepreneurs. The program aims to engage various sectors, including policy makers, GBV survivors, and other women-focused programs to foster inclusive conversations,” she noted.
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