Gender equity is crucial to meeting development goals-Okapnachi

Due to the recognition of the pivotal role women plays in the economy, the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) says it has disbursed more than N98 billion to female entrepreneurs in Nigeria as of February 2022.

The Managing Director of the bank, Mr. Tony Okapnachi, made this disclosure in Abuja on Tuesday when the bank celebrated International Women’s Day.

Okapnachi stated that ‘gender equity is crucial to meeting development goals, reducing human suffering, and solving our biggest environmental problems.’

Women across the world, he said, ‘continue to suffer from gender inequality, including child labor, forced marriages, gender-based violence, sexist policies, as well as barriers to participation in education and employment.’

Okapnachi identified the stereotypes and biases that women have to contend with to include Women Can’t Be Leaders; Women Are Irrational; Women Can’t Handle Huge Responsibilities and many more.

For a society to make progress, we must challenge these preconceived notions.

‘As Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Development Bank of Nigeria Plc, I have led a team that is deliberately breaking these biases.

“This is anchored on the appreciation and recognition of the strategic role women play as reliable builders of micro, small, and medium scale enterprises, a segment we are mandated to provide funding to.’

Okapnachi noted that ‘it is admirable that we are now challenging these biases, especially in the workplace; we must also be aware of the unintended consequence of this new level of openness and embrace it with optimism instead of fear.

From Uche Usim(Abuja)