Federal Capital Territory Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, has reaffirmed the FCT Administration’s commitment to creating an environment where women have equal access to resources, skills, and markets, enabling them to contribute significantly to national development.
The minister who made this statement at a forum focused on economic empowerment for women in politics and the economy, held alongside the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York, emphasized that economically empowering women is a crucial step towards reducing poverty, promoting equality, and achieving lasting peace.
Dr. Mahmoud praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for prioritizing gender inclusion, youth development, and creating opportunities for women to excel as innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders.
The minister commended the forum organizers for bringing together ideas, policies, and strategies to accelerate women’s empowerment. She highlighted that gender equality is a fundamental right, not a privilege, and that financing inclusive growth is a collective responsibility.
Dr. Mahmoud stressed that investing in women’s entrepreneurship can transform incomes, nutrition, education, and community stability.
The initiative prioritizes gender inclusion, youth development, and creating opportunities for women to thrive. A key platform driving women’s economic empowerment, with over 330,000 women accessing livelihood grants and thousands linked to formal financial institutions.
A program aimed at mobilizing over 50 million women, children, families, and vulnerable persons across all 774 Local Government Areas of the Federation.
Dr. Mahmoud’s statement underscores the importance of women’s economic empowerment in achieving sustainable development and promoting peace.
“This platform is not only timely but also pivotal in our collective pursuit of inclusive growth, sustainable peace, and the promotion of human rights.”
Mahmoud emphasized that by placing women at the centre of economic development, the globe would be investing in the transformation of families, communities, and nations.
The forum with the theme scaling women’s economic empowerment: financing inclusive growth for peace, development, and human rights, brought together policy makers, political leaders, giants of industries, innovators, diplomats, and other stakeholders to chart a course for women’s empowerment.