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NIM seeks women participation in economic development

By Kingsley Jeremiah, Abuja
07 August 2018   |   3:32 am
The Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) has stressed the urgent need to create an environment that will allow women contribute more to the nation’s economic development. Speaking at the 2018 Women in Management and Leadership (WIMLEAD) conference in Abuja, the President and chairman of Council of NIM, Prof. Olukunle Iyanda argued that there must be…

Olukunle Iyanda

The Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) has stressed the urgent need to create an environment that will allow women contribute more to the nation’s economic development.

Speaking at the 2018 Women in Management and Leadership (WIMLEAD) conference in Abuja, the President and chairman of Council of NIM, Prof. Olukunle Iyanda argued that there must be gender equality in the management and leadership of both private and public institution to pave way for women to contribute adequately to the development of the country.

Iyanda said women are under-represented in the top management and decision-making positions in both the private and the public sectors of the Nigerian economy.

“In the private sector, women account for an average of only 22 per cent of Board positions and 15 per cent of executive positions in companies listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. The percentage of women in leadership positions in the various industrial sectors is similarly low, varying from a high of 19.66 per cent in the telecommunications industry to a low of 12.2 per cent in the Energy”, he said.

The NIM President added that the prevailing situation remains a leading cause of poverty in the country.

He decried that about 70 per cent of the world’s 1.3 billion people living in abject poverty are women.
Iyanda called for a road map to accelerate the progress of women in taking their proper place in the top leadership positions in both the private and public sectors of the Nigerian economy and governance.

“Generally, companies with more women than men on their boards are more profitable,” he noted.

On her part, Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Yetunde Onanuga and the in Abuja said the country needs disciplined, knowledgeable and highly committed women who will continue to positively influence the economy of the country.

“If Nigerian women had the same opportunities as men they could drive GDP up by $13.9 billion’, Onanuga said desired economic development in Nigeria may remain elusive if women were excluded from key roles. We need a logical balance of men and women in leadership roles,’ she said.

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