Former President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Chief Alaba Lawson has encouraged Rotary International and similar organisations in the country to consistently inspire and promote women towards economic and national growth.
Mrs Lawson, who spoke on ‘The Transformational Woman: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Socio-Economic Change’ at the first Rotary District 9110 Women in Rotary Conference held at the Nigeria Law School Auditorium, Victoria Island, Lagos at the weekend, said that Rotary has made giant strides in the area of women empowerment and advised the organisation to do more as that would lead to the nation’s growth.
She noted that women are the key to Nigeria’s economic and political advancement, and the more women are involved at the top echelon and decision-making process, the better.
According to her, “when more women work, economies grow. Women’s economic empowerment boosts productivity, increases economic diversification and income equality in addition to other positive development outcomes”.
Describing women as the future, Lawson stated that studies show that companies with more women on their boards outperform those without them by a significant margin, and organisations with greater gender diversity globally grew to 32 per cent in 2022. According to her, women often excel at soft skills required for business leadership and they represent a significant economic force and provide valuable consumer insight that any nation needs to thrive.
She further said that Nigeria required traits such as ability to connect, collaborate, empathise, communicate and prudence, which are inherent in women, to make progress in key sectors including economy, politics and more.
She, however, lamented that despite the fact that women are in the majority in terms of population, the opportunities for them to show their skills and contribute meaningfully have been hampered by systemic bottlenecks.
The keynote speaker therefore advised that to fuel its fire of progress and revolutionise its economic, political and social structure, women must be given adequate representation in government and key sectors of the economy.
Tax expert and management consultant, Sir Gbenga Badejo, who spoke on ‘Ten Top Financial Challenges for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises’, said that, if women can overcome these challenges, they would be able to build formidable businesses and play in the big league.
The immediate past President of Rotary Club of Ikeja said the challenges included limited or inconsistent cashflow, not using budgetary control mechanism, no preparation for unforeseen expenses, not raising enough capital, too much debt, neglecting necessary financial reporting and book keeping, poor regulatory compliance, mixing business and personal finances, poor marketing tactics, and poor managing of receivables and payables.
In her welcome address, the District Governor of Rotary International District 9110, Rotarian Omotunde Lawson said that the conference, which was the first in the 41-year history of the District, was aimed at equipping women with the right support for personal and financial growth.
