From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, has said more women will benefit from high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road”initiative, realizing their dreams, and creating an even more splendid future.
Yu stated this in Abuja at an event to commemorate the 2025 International Women’s Day with the theme: ‘Her Story, Her Future.’
The theme which aligned with the 2025 United Nations International Women’s Day theme: ‘For All Women and Girls: Rights, Equality, Empowerment,’ also commemorated the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
Yu stated that the issue of gender should not in anyway be a barrier for human exploration, adding that when women had equal access to education and resources, they could shape history.
“Over the years, practical cooperation between China and Nigeria has deepened across various fields, providing many Nigerian women with better medical resources, more agricultural skills, and increased business and entrepreneurial opportunities.
“Last year, President Tinubu successfully visited China and attended the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, elevating China-Nigeria relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
“The positive development of China-Nigeria relations is inseparable from the direct participation and active promotion of women from both countries in various sectors. China will work with Nigeria to better implement the consensus reached by our leaders, carry out the Ten Partnership Action Plans, including promoting women’s exchanges, and jointly build a high-level China-Nigeria community with a shared future.
“I believe more women will benefit from the high-quality cooperation under the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative, realizing their dreams, and creating an even more splendid future,” Yu said.
The Chinese envoy further said over the past 30 years, remarkable achievements by women have been witnessed in political, economic, technological, and cultural fields across the world, as they have written a glorious chapter in history.
“Gender has never been a barrier for human exploration. Civilisation, science and technology could always break down prejudices. When women enjoy equal education and fair resource access, they would be able to make history,” Yu also said.
On the role of women in China, Yu explained that since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese government placed a strong focus on women’s rights, building a comprehensive legal framework that included over 100 laws and regulations designed to protect women.
He added that the government’s action reflected in the average life expectancy for Chinese women which is nearly 81 years, as women made up of 45 percent of the Chinese workforce.
“China has established a comprehensive legal system to protect women’s rights, comprising over 100 laws and regulations.
“The average life expectancy of Chinese women has reached nearly 81 years, and the gender gap in education has been essentially eliminated.
“Women account for nearly 45 percent of the total workforce, and in the internet sector, female entrepreneurs outnumber their male counterparts, making up 55 percent of the total,” Yu added.
In his remark, the Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Oraeluno Raphael, hailed the resilience of women, noting that the crucial contributions of women across various fields, including agriculture, science, technology, education, and business, cannot be over emphasised, while also carrying the weight of the world’s problems on their shoulders.
“Whenever a woman is in a position of authority, you will see peace. You will see decorum. You will see things moving,” he said.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Social Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Olubunmi Olowookere, eulogised the achievements of women and acknowledged the theme of the celebration, ‘Her Story, Her Future.’
Olowookere also said women’s stories were testaments to resilience, courage, and the pursuit of dreams, noting that women have consistently broken barriers and shaped societies.
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