The federal government has begun efforts to strengthen women’s affairs policies by harmonising memoranda from North-Central states ahead of the 26th national council on women’s affairs and social development.

The permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Esuabana Asanye, said the workshop was organised to improve policy formulation and the quality of memoranda for the council.

Represented by Ihunanya Chukwu of the ministry, Ms Asanye said the workshop would also review outcomes from the 25th council and align discussions with the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

According to her, participants will prepare memoranda covering six thematic areas: gender mainstreaming, women’s empowerment, child rights, reproductive health, social welfare, and the protection of vulnerable groups.

She expressed optimism that the exercise would produce practical policy recommendations to improve the welfare of women, children, and other vulnerable groups.

Earlier, the Niger Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Hadiza Idris-Kuta, described the workshop as a key step in preparing the North-Central zone for the national council.

She said the meeting was designed to harmonise policies, refine state memoranda, and ensure the zone presents a unified position.

Ms Idris-Kuta urged participants to develop practical, evidence-based recommendations to promote women’s economic empowerment, strengthen the protection of women and children, and improve social welfare programmes.

She expressed confidence that the workshop would yield strategies to positively impact women and other vulnerable groups across the region.

Isongugo Tommy, a representative of the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development and a facilitator at the workshop, said the exercise aimed to review and improve memoranda submitted by North-Central states.

“There are two types of memoranda: information memoranda and action memoranda.

“Information memoranda highlight what each state has done to implement the Renewed Hope Agenda in line with its development priorities,” Tommy said.

He added that participants would review the memoranda, make any necessary amendments, and ensure they meet the required standards before presenting them to the national council.

He said the exercise would also enable states to learn from one another by adopting successful programmes and policies.

Also speaking, Ms Chukwu, principal administrative officer in the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, said the ministry remained committed to strengthening families and promoting inclusive social and economic development nationwide.

She said the ministry’s mandate was to improve the welfare of Nigerian women through gender inclusion, family support, and girl-child education.

Ms Chukwu expressed optimism that the forthcoming national council would address many challenges facing women through practical policies and programmes.

Similarly, Hajiya Umma Mohammed, the director of child rights in the ministry, called for increased government support to tackle child abuse, child labour, child trafficking, and other child protection issues.

“We have made progress in prosecuting rape cases and addressing child-related offences, but we need more support and collaboration to protect every child.

“We believe this workshop will help us develop stronger policies to improve the welfare of children in Niger,” she said.

(NAN)