By Munanchimso Obienyi
Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has stated that an increased participation of women in leadership roles will achieve an all inclusive economy.
According to Osinbajo, women representation in government positions in the country is still stuck in the pod and must be reconsidered to drive economic growth and development.
Osinbajo stated this at the Institute of Directors (IoD) 2022 Women Directors’ annual conference tagged, “Facing Forward: The evolving nature of Boards in a rapidly changing world,” which held in Lagos.
The Vice President said during his tenure as Attorney General, Lagos, a survey of 200 lawyers in 1999 revealed that 89 per cent of judges were notoriously corrupt, maintaining that to check the anomaly, reforms began, including headhunting of judges leading to the appointment of 52 judges where 71 per cent were women.
Earlier, the Chairman, Women Directors’ Development Committee, IoD, Mrs Debola Osibogun, said the institute remained committed to promoting best corporate governance practices, including the need for increased female participation both in the private and public sectors of the Nigerian economy.
She noted that the choice of the conference’s theme was carefully made in recognition of the global paradigm shift, which had placed huge expectations on the shoulders of company owners, boards and management.
The Chairman, KPMG Africa, Mr Kunle Elebute noted, challenges such as changes in technology, increased stakeholders’ expectations and impacts of the global economy are critical concerns, and the focus of boards goes beyond traditional skill sets of commercial acumen and financial literacy.
