The Federal Ministry of Water Resources has developed implementation guidelines and action plan for gender mainstreaming policy in the water sector.
This was revealed at a one day workshop held on Thursday in Yenogoa, Bayelsa State, titled “Gender Mainstreaming: A pathway to Gender Equality in the Water and Allied Sectors”.
The Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman H. Adamu, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, said that the Gender Mainstreaming Policy was a product of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration through the FMWR which aims to achieve gender equality, equality and empowering of Women and girls in the water sector.
The minister added that this policy is in line with a range of treaties, conventions and commitments towards greater gender equality in Nigeria noting that, the policy takes into cognizance the key provisions of the National Gender Policy which seeks to address existing barriers that hinder the equal participation of Women and girls in accessing clean Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) as well as Climate Change Management and Control.
According to Adamu, that the overarching objective of the Policy is to maximize the potential of all the existing policies, programmes and projects to drive inclusive growth and sustainable socio-economic development by paying special attention to the needs of women, men, youths, persons living with disabilities as well as the elderly in the delivery of water sector services.
He further explained that the workshop would provide a veritable platform for stakeholders in the water sector to converge, brainstorm, update and validate the existing zero draft gender policy in line with global emerging trends, whilst equally directing energy towards articulating key measures that would set-out the specific roles, responsibilities, strategies, activities and indicators for effective implementation and monitoring of the policy across the sector.
In his speech, Governor Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State, who was represented at the occasion by the Secretary to the State Government, Alabo Gideon Ekevwei, stated that the Government of Bayelsa State was well pleased with the workshop and was in full support of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, saying, “I’m driving this laudable initiative of development of implementation Guidelines for Gender Mainstreaming Policy of Government for Water Sector”.
He noted that the state government would go all out to support any policy that would encourage women empowerment towards attaining quality education that would aid in making informed decisions for the achievement of the socio-economic development of our nation rather than focussing on religion and pre-modal sentiments to define womanhood.
The Bayelsa State Commissioner for Water Resources, Wariebi Kemebaradikumor, spoke in the same vein.
He reiterated that his ministry would support the implementation and development of mainstreaming policy guidelines which would positively impact the girl child.