The African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development today (June 16, 2021), commenced a 2-day stakeholders’ interface meeting on gender mainstreaming in Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi State.
The meeting, expected to have representatives of MDAs, traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth leaders and women leaders from mineral bearing communities in attendance is part of the centre’s effort of addressing the prevalence of gender-based violence in the extractive sector in Nigeria.
A statement by the programme coordinator, CentreLSD, Ms. Victoria Ose Ikearu-Udoh, said the meeting which is one of the initial activities under its BUILD grant had become crucial to identify critical stakeholders for engagement as the roles they (stakeholders) play in determining the success or failure of any project intervention could not be overemphasized.
It explained that the interface meeting apart from serving as a platform to stimulate discussions amongst stakeholders, would also mark the commencement of the interrogation of systems, structures and practices that may have put women, girls and people living with disabilities in disadvantages in the extractive sector in the state. It begins the process of mainstreaming gender into the extractive sector to ensure no one is left behind in the state, it added.
The statement enjoined the public particularly citizens of Ebonyi State to join the meeting, using any of the centre’s social media handles; facebook @centrelsd ###
