The Federal Executive Council (FEC) Wednesday approved Women Economic Empowerment Policy for the country.
Minister of Women Affairs Mrs Pauline Tallen said this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the valedictory FEC meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari.
She said the new initiative called WEE Policy would help bring about optimal development in the country because women constitute about 50 per cent of the population.
“The Federal Executive Council has approved the WEE Policy. The WEE Policy is Women Economic Empowerment. It is a policy dialogue that we’ve been working on for over one year.
“We’ve traversed all around the country, to the 36 states, having dialogues with the private sector, rural dwellers, to find the best way to empower women and get them into the mainstream of nation building.
“You’ll agree with me that women constitute over 50% of the population and the surest way to national development is to involve the total population of the country. If 50% of the population is neglected, it means the country cannot develop optimally; it’s like a country walking with one leg,” she said.
The minister thanked the President for giving his nod for the policy to be birthed, stressing that it has been a long time dream to have such a policy in place because of the importance of women in the society.
“This has been a dream we’ve been pursuing and finally yesterday, Mr. President gave the stamp, it is a legacy that Mr. President is leaving behind by approving this Woman Economic Empowerment to help get women into the mainstream of financial plans to ensure that women are carried along in nation building,” she said.
