By Emmanuella Asuquo
UN Women on behalf of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of women and other sponsors like the African Union and Embassy of Germany recently in Abuja launched the African Women Leaders Network, AWLN, Nigeria Chapter.
UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Comfort Lamptey said that Nigeria Chapter is the seventh network to be launched, adding that it became imperative to have the Nigerian Chapter after much discussion with Nigeria women during the regional network launching.
She said that the potential of the AWLN Nigeria Chapter is to transform the status quo especially where women have become game-changers.
She said, “ the AWLN is a platform that recognises and embraces diversity of existing women’s network, adding that the mission is to bring the different formations of women’s networks together around a common agenda.”
“AWLN is a glue to unite women’s networks in all their diversity around a common purpose of advancing gender quality in Nigeria. This will in turn make the women’s movement stronger and better able to withstand the push-back that is threatening to unravel many of the gains that have been made in recent decades.”
The potential of AWLN Nigeria is is limitless, adding that the network can support the passage of required legislation to make inclusive governance, peace and security, reality, and can facilitate spaces for young women to fully contribute to shaping the future of the country.
Lamptey disclosed that AWLN was formed in 2017 as a regional African platform to glavanize the strength of women’s network across sectors and generations , to support realization of the big development agendas on the continent namely the AU Agenda 2063 and UN SDGs 2030.
Nigerian Pilot reports that so far six national networks have been formed in CAR, DRC, Cameroon, Congo Brazzaville, Seychelles and Sierra Leone.
