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By Chukwuma Umeorah
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has called for stronger gender inclusion in Nigeria’s financial system, stating that expanding opportunities for women in the capital market would support broader economic participation and development.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu made the remarks on Tuesday in Lagos at the “Ring the Bell for Gender Equality” event organised by Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) to commemorate International Women’s Day.
She commended the exchange for using the capital market as a platform to promote women’s participation in economic activities and leadership.
“I commend the NGX Group for using the capital market to advance inclusion, transparency, and opportunity for women across our economy,” she said.
The minister said the event was also personally significant, referencing the historical ties between the Nigerian capital market and her late father-in-law, the businessman and industrialist Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu.
“The occasion is particularly meaningful and a great honor for me because my late father-in-law, Chief Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu, served as one of the founding presidents of an organization who was a visionary industrialist who believed strongly in enterprise, innovation, and national development,” she said.
“It is therefore both a personal and a historic privilege to stand here today at the exchange, celebrating progress whilst renewing our commitment to a more inclusive economic future.”
She congratulated the exchange and its partners for sustaining the global initiative promoting gender equality in financial markets.
“I therefore congratulate the Nigerian Exchange Group and its partners for sustaining this global movement and for championing gender equality within our financial ecosystem,” she said, adding that stakeholders should continue opening opportunities for women and girls across sectors.
“Together, let us continue to open the doors of opportunity so that the next generation of women can live with confidence and transform our world.”
Also speaking, the First Lady of Imo State, Chioma Uzodimma, said gender equality remains central to sustainable economic development, noting that expanding access to education, finance and leadership opportunities for women would help reduce poverty and inequality.
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According to her, initiatives under the “Good Hope Women Flourish Initiative” in Imo State focus on improving access to education for girls, mentorship opportunities and skills training for women. “Economic inclusion remains the master key to lasting change. By strengthening transparency and including market incentives for women’s participation in finance, we unlock gender equity, inclusive leadership, and stronger institutions,” she said.
Uzodimma said initiatives that promote women’s participation in finance and enterprise are necessary to strengthen inclusive growth. “Today, as exchanges across the globe ring the bells in unison, we declare that gender equality is not merely a social ideal, but a fundamental pillar of sustainable economic development,” she said.
While commending the exchange for promoting gender inclusion, she called for sustained collaboration between the public and private sectors to expand opportunities for women and girls.
In his welcome address, the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the exchange, Jude Chiemeka, said increasing women’s participation in finance and business remains important for the development of the capital market.
According to him, women already play a significant role in investment activity and household financial decisions, based on data gathered from retail offers on the exchange.
“We found women buying for children. We found women investing their money for families,” he said, noting that expanding women’s participation in the financial system would strengthen wealth creation and deepen the capital market.
Chiemeka added that women also play a major role in the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises, which represent a large portion of economic activity and potential future listings on the exchange.
“The reality is that our country today is that a chunk of value of wealth in this nation. And it’s in SMEs, it’s in small businesses, and those are driven largely by women,” he said.
“If we’re able to solve the problems that women face and get women access to capital, that translates into much deeper, much better capital markets.”
The event also featured remarks from media entrepreneur Mo Abudu and actress and movie producer Funke Akindele, who encouraged women to scale their businesses and pursue opportunities across different sectors of the economy.
Akindele urged women entrepreneurs to build stronger structures around their businesses and remain consistent in pursuing growth opportunities. “Let us build structure into our businesses. Let us do it right,” she said.
