ActionAid Harps On Women, Youths’ Participation In Politics
By: Femi Mustapha
ActionAid Nigeria has appealed to women and youths in the country to be part of the political process in other to ensure their inclusion in issues that affect them.
Manager of governance, programme, ActionAid, Celestine Odo, made the appeal during the Women-Youth (WE-YOU) project capacity building and training workshop organized by Legal Awareness for Women (LAWN) and supported by UKaid in Kaduna on 28th, June 2022.
According to him, it is time for Women to key into the leadership structures of political parties to enable them to stand for election and participate in governance.
Odo said the two-day workshop was aimed at mobilizing women and youths to take part in the political process.
He added that at the national level, ActionAid is having conversations with the political parties and providing technical support for them in thematic areas.
He said, “The workshop is about improving the political process in Nigeria by mobilizing youths and women into the political space.
“We should go beyond the traditional clapping of hands with women and the youths being used as thugs”.
Speaking earlier, the project coordinator of the WE-YOU project, Frank Abu said, the project has launched a political mentoring programme in Kaduna to train 300 young women and youth eager to participate actively in politics and political mentoring.
“We are sensitizing women and youths for effective participation in the political process, bringing the women and youths into the leadership structures of the political parties and being also able to stand as candidates and be voted for in an election.
“So how do we do that? This requires grassroots mobilization across the communities where this project is happening. Part of what we are here today is to take them into the process of what constitute politics-elections and the guides”
Speaking on the objectives of the training, the Kaduna State Coordinate of the WE-YOU project, Hannatu Hauwan, explained that it is to build the capacities of Women and Youths in understanding the political and governance structures in Kaduna state.
She added that it is also to develop the skills and technical capacity of the participants on policy and influencing, budget analysis and political education, and facilitate platforms that will drive conservations on how to engage the political system and actors (party structure, government agencies.)
She noted that the project targets young women and youth in leadership positions in political parties and politics away from the current situation where women and youth shied away from active politics for various reasons and are rather engaged as clapping supporters and thugs.
