Top government officials, political leaders and business executives have declared that empowering women remains the surest path to national prosperity.
They spoke at the unveiling of the Business Women of Influence for Renewed Hope Agenda (BWI-RHA) in Abuja at the weekend.
Chairman of the Governing Council of the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development (MBNCWD),Dr Joan Jummai Idonije, who represented the minister of women affairs and social development,
charged women to turn their influence into economic power and become active drivers of the country’s development.
She described women empowerment as a cornerstone of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Women empowerment is not charity; it is a strategic economic policy,” she said.
She said government programmes were already reaching women in all the 774 local government areas through entrepreneurship support, skills acquisition, financial inclusion and targeted interventions for vulnerable groups.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, said women remained indispensable partners in nation-building and economic transformation.
Yilwatda said the initiative aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda which seeks to expand economic opportunities, entrepreneurship and financial inclusion across the country.
“Empowering women is an economic necessity and a strategic investment in national progress,” he said.
He praised the newly formed group for creating a platform that would deepen mentorship, enterprise development and leadership opportunities for women nationwide.
In her remarks, BWI-RHA director-general, Ngozi Oyewole, described the organisation as a powerful movement designed to mobilise women for economic growth and national development.
She added that the platform would mentor women entrepreneurs, create business opportunities, promote leadership development, and advocate policies that improve the welfare of women, children, and other vulnerable groups.
“Today, we are launching more than an organisation; we are launching a force for empowerment, enterprise and leadership,” Oyewole said.
Also speaking, the group’s Matron and Iyalode of Lagos, Bintu-Fatima Tinubu, urged women to seize the opportunity to build stronger families, businesses and communities.
“When women succeed, families prosper, communities flourish and nations grow,” she said.
