In This article I Will give you details about Nigeria ministry of women affairs
What are the duties and responsibilities of Nigeria ministry of women affairs. At the end of this post you Will more about ministry of affairs
Nigeria ministry of Women affairs
Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development is a part of the Federal Ministries of Nigeria that promotes the development of women and children in Nigeria
Ministry is headed by a Minister appointed by the President of a State and assisted by a Permanent Secretary, who is a career civil servant
Objectives include stimulating action to promote civic, political, social and economic participation of women coordinating and monitoring women’s programmes providing technical and financial support to women Non-governmental organizations, especially the National Council of Women Societies
History of Nigeria ministry of women affairs
Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development was created consequent upon of the response to The United Nations agreement to establish Institutional Mechanisms for the advancement of Women and Women matters. It is a product of efforts established through a Decree in 1989 giving rise to the National Commission for Women.
This however was the initiative of the wife of the then Head of State (Dr) Mrs Maryam Babangida of blessed memory.
The Commission though recognized as a Government Institution, its activities were rather ad-hoc with no specific and adequate budgetary allocation. The wife of the Head of State then dictated the pace of activities in the Commission with the creation of her Better life Programme for Rural Women.
In 1995, the Commission for Women was upgraded to a full-fledged Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, which meant that Nigeria had achieved one of the critical areas of concern of the Beijing Platform for Action.
The activities of the Ministry, again largely influenced by the dictates of the wife of the Head of State at that time, Mrs Maryam Sani Abacha who came up with her pet project; the Family Support and Economic Advancement Programme.
Indeed, like the Women Commission, resource allocation in the form of budgetary provision was very meagre, barely enough to pay the Salary of staff.
Intervention by the First Lady’s programmes were basically welfarist in nature, targeting Women for their immediate needs without tackling the age-long problem of lack of integration of gender awareness and competence into mainstream development planning. This arrangement brought a lot of Institution credibility gap, which negatively affected the Ministry in many ways. For instance, when the Commission was upgraded to a Ministry Status
It was not really at par with other Ministries and therefore lacking the requisite institutional identity and resource base. Other problems were lack of adequate budget allocations and a recognized technical cadre. The net effect of this credibility gap has been that the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development is not viewed as an equal government outfit with other Ministries making its gender mainstreaming work even more difficult to pursue.
In line with Government’s repositioning and reform agenda for better service delivery in the Country; the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development came up with a clearer vision and mission statement as follows:
Duties of ministry
Ministry of affairs duties is To help build a Nigerian Society that guarantees equal access to social, economic and wealth creation opportunities to all, irrespective of gender, places premium on protection of the child.
The aged and persons with disabilities; focuses attention of key operators in both private and public sectors on mainstreaming the concerns of these groups of people in national development process
Functions of Nigeria ministry of women affairs
Ministry of Women Affairs is required to review substantive and procedural laws that affect women Some activities undertaken by the Ministry include cottage industry projects such as bee-keeping, pottery and vegetable oil production to boost the economic empowerment of women, where the Ministry provides equipment and training to women’s cooperatives
The broad mandate of the Ministry is to advise government on Gender and Children issues. Issues affecting Persons with Disabilities and the Aged; initiate policy guidelines and lead the process of gender equality and mainstreaming at both the National and International levels”.
Ministry also promotes literacy and health programs for women In December 2007, the ministry issued a policy for addressing HIV/AIDS in the workplace, helping ensure prevention, care and support for those living with the disease
In pursuance of its objectives, the Centre
Promotes research into the activities and achievements of women
Serves as a Databank on Women And Development (WAD) in Nigeria
Facilitates the formulation of policies affecting women in all sectors and primarily in areas such as employment, health, agriculture and finance
Provides training in skills development, and acquisition, income generation activities and serve as a training ground for managers and leaders
Provides a forum for guidance, counseling and mobilization of women in both urban and rural areas
Liaises with National, Regional and International agencies involved in women development programmes.
List of ministers of women affairs
Aisha Ismail 1999–2003
Rita Akpan 2003–2005
Maryam Ciroma 2005–2007
Saudatu Bungudu 2007–2008
Salamatu Hussain Suleiman 2008–2010
Josephine Anenih 2010–2011
Zainab Maina 2011–2015
Aisha Jummai Alhassan 2015–2018
Aisha Abubakar 2018–2019
Pauline Kedem Tallen 2019–present
LEADERSHIP AND DIRECTORS of ministry of affairs
Honourable Minister
Permanent Secretary
Director Women and Gender Affairs Department
Director Child Development Department
Director Rehabilitation Department
Director Economics Services
Director Social Welfare Department
Director Planning, Research and Statistics Department
Director Human Resource Management Department
Director Finance and Account Department
Director Legal Services
Director General Services
MINISTRY’S PARASTATAL
The National Centre for Women Development (NCWD) is an agency of Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development. It is a non-political not-for-profit organization established by
The National Centre for Women Development (NCWD) is an agency of Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development. It is a non-political not-for-profit organization established by Decree No. 11 Section 1(5) of 1995, and run by a Governing Council made up of eminent and distinguished Nigerians.
As the only one of its kind in the African continent, the Centre is charged with the responsibility of stimulating consciousness towards the attainment of higher levels of development and activity for Nigerian Women. It serves as a data bank on women and development in Nigeria. The Centre facilitates the formulation of policies as well as provides training in skill development and income generating activities. It also provides forum for guidance and counseling and the mobilization of women in both urban and rural areas.
The Centre liaises with National, Regional and International agencies involved in Gender development programmes.
