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North’s economic recovery must focus on upscaling digital skills of youths ― Pantami
Two million Nigerians living in Borno, Adamawa, Yobe IDP camps alone ― UNHCR
Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan, on Tuesday,
said Nigeria cannot achieve economic progress without the social emancipation
of women, especially in the North. He stated this in Abuja at the unveiling of
Arewa Recovery Plan, a document to facilitate social and economic regeneration
in the North, following the devastations caused by insurgents since 2009.
According to Lawan, social ceilings preventing Northern women
from aspiring to notable heights in politics and business exist in the region;
stressing that these barriers have contributed largely to its poverty.
Represented by his Special Assistant on Gender Matters, Hajia Zahra Umar, the
Senate President said, “The most economically marginalised women in the country
are from the North. We cannot have an economic recovery plan that excludes
their emancipation and empowerment.
“Though nearly 70 per cent of economic activities in the
North are carried out by women, their total contribution to the national
economy is insignificant because they operate at very low levels. “So, we must
accommodate their interests. We have to bring them out of their social chains.
Already, there is a ceiling to what a Northern woman can be whether in
politics, business, or career pursuits. No country or region can achieve
economic growth by leaving behind a sector of its population, especially the women.”
He regretted that the National Gender Policy was not being implemented despite
its beauty on paper. “The gap between even between the Northern woman and her
counterpart from the South is huge and cannot just be bridged by a cosmetic
dressing. It requires real work in terms of policy implementation,” Lawan
added. Speaking also, the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa
Pantami, said the plan to rebuild the economy of the North must focus on
shoring up the digital skills of youths in the region. Noting that the world
has moved away from resource-based to knowledge-based economic models, the
Minister said President Muhammadu Buhari adopted the National Digital Economy
Policy and Strategy to facilitate acquisition of digital skills by youths nationwide
to drive the economy of their respective regions amongst other benefits. In his
remarks, Mark Topps, a representative of the United Nations High Commission for
Refugees, said no meaningful development plan can succeed in the North without
security and peace. He said, “Right now, in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states
alone, about two million Nigerians are displaced and living in camps. “So, our
initial goal together with the federal and state governments is to return the
IDPs to their communities but that will only happen when there is peace.
“However, for the return to be sustainable, basic commodities, infrastructure,
and amenities must be in place. In their areas that already seem to be
peaceful, civil authorities must be available and strengthened to function
optimally.” Topps added that so far UN programmes on economic empowerment in
the North are ongoing but explained that a lot of them were contingent on the
people being in a situation where they can return home from the camps. Earlier,
Dele Williams, lawyer and convener of Area Economic Club said even though the
North has not experienced war, technically, in recent years the mortality rate,
insecurity, poverty and unemployment unleashed in the region in the last decade
by insurgents and bad governance have left the people in shock and devastation
comparable to a post-war scenario. “The Arewa Recovery Plan is designed to be a
public-private partnership effort to revive the North and get our people back
to work,” he stressed.
Source: Vanguard
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