By Waziri Isa Adam (Group Editor-in-chief)
An Eminent Professor of Law and AfCFTA expert, Professor Muhammed Tawfiq Ladan, has outlined a 10 – Point comprehensive agenda for Nigeria’s new Minister of Women Affairs and Child Development, Hajiya Imaan Suleiman Ibrahim, emphasizing inclusive policies and partnerships to enhance women and children’s lives within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework.
The agenda commences with the request for annual reports on national gender policy implementation, identifying gaps, challenges, and prospects at both federal and state levels.
To strengthen monitoring and evaluation, the expert advocates for enhancing the assessment of national gender policy and its sectoral policies in agriculture, education, labor, trade, military, and police.
A critical aspect of the agenda is the review of the national policy on children, particularly focusing on orphaned and vulnerable children, street and out-of-school children, and Almajirai children.
This review will identify gaps, challenges, and prospects in the policy’s implementation, ensuring the promotion and protection of their survival, participation, protection, and development rights.
Effective partnerships are crucial, with collaborations between UNICEF, the new National Commission on Out-of-School/Street/Almajirai Children, and other institutions proposed to promote women’s empowerment and child development.
The expert recommends reconstituting the National Child Rights Implementation Committee as required by the Child Rights Act 2003, injecting more experts and practitioners to strengthen the committee.
Furthermore, Nigeria’s overdue country report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva, due in 2025, should be fast-tracked with UNICEF’s assistance.
To inform policy and programmatic interventions, scattered reports on women and children’s rights promotion and protection relating to trade, access to finance, and all forms of exploitation and abuse will be collated.
Plans for ease of doing business for women will be developed, encompassing trade, investment in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), access to finance, digital trade, and more.
Lastly, partnering with institutions like the Nigeria AFCFTFA Agreement Implementation Coordination Office will sensitize and enhance women’s capacity in trade facilitation, investment promotion, and protection of intellectual property rights within the AfCFTA framework.
By integrating gender policy and child development into Nigeria’s AfCFTA agenda, the country can unlock opportunities for women’s economic empowerment, promote inclusive trade practices, and ensure the well-being of its most vulnerable citizens.