‘FG improving gender-inclusive environment’
By Philip Clement
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed has said that the Federal Government of Nigeria is providing tax relief and other support to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), many of which are women-owned, Through the implementation of Finance Acts 2019 and 2020.
Speaking during an event to mark the 2021 International Women’s Day Commemoration tagged ‘National Policy Dialogue,’ Mrs. Ahmed said the Federal Government is also working to ensure that public financial management processes are more gender-sensitive.
Her words: “We are also scaling up existing and developing new interventions at the intersection of gender equality and fiscal policy/public financial management.
“These include gender responsive budgeting, and assessments of the gender responsiveness of key fiscal interventions (including fiscal stimulus packages) with specific commitments aimed at improving the safety, livelihoods, and economic status of women and girls.
This is an area in which we at the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning are focusing more deliberately and will be prioritising, in partnership with the Ministry of Women Affairs and other critical stakeholders.
“If we fail to act now, the goals espoused in the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 will remain out of reach, “ she said.
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According to Mrs. Ahmed, this year’s theme: ‘Women in leadership: Achieving An Equal Future In A COVID-19 World’ is a resounding call to celebrate the unfailing resilience and inspiring leadership of women and girls around the world.
“At the country level, our champions include, the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, who has been a tireless advocate for gender equality, and has taken a bold stand in the campaign to end violence against women and girls.
