On the 19th of August, 2024, His Excellency Sen. Prince Bassey Edet Otu on a virtual meeting met with the UN Women Nigeria team.
The meeting was opened by Utibe-Abasi Bassey-Duke, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Gender Mainstreaming. Utibe-Abasi, expressed her gratitude to Gov. Otu for creating the Department of Gender Mainstreaming and the opportunity to have his presence.
Utibe-Abasi stated that the purpose of the meeting which includes: Gender Affirmative Procurement and Gender Responsive Budgeting. She emphasized how implementing these initiatives would position Cross River State among the few pioneering states in Nigeria. She then handed over to the Country Representative UN Women to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Beatrice Eyong.
Ms Eyong extended greetings to the Governor and appreciated him for appointing a Special Assistant on Gender. She mentioned meeting the First Lady, who is also passionate about gender issues.
Madam Beatrice acknowledged the various programs UN Women has implemented in Cross River State, including the Governance and Participation Program, Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Programs, Women’s Political Empowerment (WPE), and the Elimination of Violence Against Women Program in partnership with the Spotlight Initiative.
These programs are designed to support women’s organizations and foster collaboration with government entities and women leaders.
Beatrice Eyong also highlighted that Cross River, alongside FCT and Maiduguri, is one of the few locations with a Resource Center, which has garnered international attention, particularly from Canada. She mentioned that in October, UN Women plans to bring machines for cassava processing and toolkits for businesswomen in Cross River State to celebrate International Rural Women’s Day.
She emphasized the active presence of UN Women in the state and discussed the potential for further collaboration, including the implementation of affirmative procurement and gender-responsive planning and budgeting in Cross River State.
Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu expressed his gratitude to UN Women and affirmed the state’s strong interest in women’s development. He highlighted that economic participation is a key focus, especially given that the majority of the state’s workforce comprises women, particularly in farming. However, he noted that a significant challenge is encouraging women to participate in training programs.
On the topic of affirmative procurement, the Governor acknowledged the importance of gender balance, noting that women tend to deliver better results. He expressed optimism that, with the support of UN Women, these initiatives could be successfully implemented across the state.
Ms. Beatrice Eyong drew the Governor’s attention to the upcoming local government elections and emphasized the importance of increasing women’s political participation in Cross River State.
She pointed out that currently; only 6 out of 37 Permanent Secretaries and 4 out of 18 Local Government Area Heads are women. She offered UN Women’s readiness to provide training to support this initiative but noted that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the state government would be necessary to facilitate progress.
Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu expressed commitment to supporting greater female participation in politics. He agreed that a stronger collaboration with UN Women would be beneficial and expressed his willingness to move forward with the MOU.
He also mentioned that he is eager to meet with UN Women during their next visit to Cross River State.
Also in attendance was Zephania Aura(Acting Deputy Country Rep UN Women Nigeria)
Patience Ekeoba
Gracewomi Otu
Patience Ekechukwu (Programme Officer, Women Economic Empowerment)
Promise Ibegbu ( Programme Associate UN Women Nigeria)
Dr. Chukwemeka Onyimadu
Aisha Dikko
