Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), has advocated for increased inclusion and participation of women in leadership roles.
Okonjo-Iweala voiced this appeal while speaking to the press after a meeting with the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan, and other women at the Nigerian Women in Leadership event held on a recent Saturday in Abuja.
She highlighted that women continually encounter numerous obstacles in their journey to leadership. During the discussions, the women, including the Duchess, shared their perspectives on various issues and explored strategies to ensure greater representation of women in leadership roles.
Okonjo-Iweala emphasized the necessity to boost the proportion of women in leadership roles at both state and federal government levels.
She elaborated that the dialogue with the Duchess revolved around the hurdles women face in their quest for leadership and potential solutions to overcome these challenges.
Okonjo-Iweala mentioned that they also explored ways women could empower themselves and enhance their status in the country.
She posed the question, “How can we elevate the status of women in the country? The representation of women in the National Assembly is significantly low. We have yet to see a woman governor, let alone a higher position.
“This needs to change, but it won’t be handed to women on a silver platter. Women must strive for it, but men must also lend their support because it’s untenable to have 50 per cent of your population not participating.
“These were among the issues we deliberated on today, and we need to devise solutions on how women can navigate the challenges of leadership.
“Most of the women present here are already leaders; they are not striving to reach the top as they are already there,” she concluded.
