Project director of Democratic Governance for Democracy (DGD), Mourtada Deme, has said the declining participation of Nigerian women in politics is a great challenge as they now rank 102 globally .Quoting from the World Economic Forum Annual Gender Gap Report of 142 countries, he said this is a significant slide from the 89th position in just five years.
Speaking at a two day national conference on Women and Elections, with the theme “Enhancing Opportunities for Women candidates in 2015”, he said, “ It is time for women to take the next step by participating in the political process and the civic responsibilities of their communities for the betterment of their nation.
He added, “ as we plan for the 2015 elections,the challenges are great, Nigerian ranking in women’s political participation has declined considerably. It now ranks 102 in the world”.
He however said that “on a brighter note, Nigeria’s ranking for women’s over all economic participation and opportunities has improved by more than 30 slots, now ranking 55th in the world,down from 89th in 2009.”
The coordinator passionately asserted that investing in women was equal to economic progress. He said, “We know all too well that there are those who still dispute the importance of women in their country’s progress and its governance, yet the evidence is irrefutable. There is a mountain that shows that investment in women correlate positively to a country’s prosperity, poverty alleviation and economic growth.”
The conference was organised by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)Democratic Governance for Development (DGD), to address the disparity and imbalance of low representation of women in governance and decision making.