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Junior Achievement Nigeria (JAN), a non-profit organisation, and Union Bank have devoted a significant part of their sustainable development mission to ensuring young girls and women have unrestricted opportunities to thrive in society. Both organisations have, for eight years, forged a strategic partnership to advance the Leadership, Empowerment, Achievement and Development (LEAD) Camp intervention programme, a long-running initiative to inspire and empower young girls to become high-achieving women leaders in society.
Gender inequality represents a major threat to economic global development as gender discrimination is a major factor hindering nations’ capability to achieve economic growth, with its attendant psychological effects — low self-esteem, stress, and trauma — constituting critical challenges to the affected individuals.
Achieving gender parity has expectedly taken centre stage in the global efforts toward sustainable development goals. This explains why the United Nations, in its efforts towards a sustainable world in 2030, dedicates Goal 5 of its 17 Sustainable Development Goals to achieving gender equality and empowerment for all women and girls.
In Nigeria, deliberate efforts to reduce gender inequality for societal and national growth have been put in place by well-meaning organisations with a focus on educating, empowering, and liberating women and girls. In this regard, Junior Achievement Nigeria and Union Bank have been major instruments of change.
With LEAD Camp, young girls are taken through a camp-style programme where they benefit from a series of activities that address critical areas including career development, financial literacy, general health and wellness, and sexual reproductive health. During the programme, participating girls learn from some of the most outstanding and illustrious women across the globe, courtesy of Junior Achievement of Nigeria’s association with its global counterpart, Junior Achievement Worldwide.
In Africa, the challenge of gender inequality is even more prevalent. It is projected that achieving gender parity on the continent could take at least a century, and as such, tackling the challenge head-on to meet the UN’s standard by 2030 would require the collective, strategic, and relentless efforts of governments, the public and private organisations, and individuals. It would also require a deep understanding of the socio-economic and socio-political benefits equal gender treatment presents for the continent’s growth. Gender equality in the labour market, for instance, if achieved, could add $1 trillion to Africa’s collective GDP by 2025, while the continued existence of a disparity could also cost the continent nearly $700 billion within the same timeframe.
Junior Achievement Nigeria’s Executive Director, Foluso Gbadamosi said of the programme: “The LEAD Camp is to demonstrate that regardless of their socio-economic status, background or career path they choose to take, young girls and women can be successful with the right guidance, mindset, skill sets and network. And we will continue to inspire and provide them with a world of possibilities to thrive excellently.”
Signifying its success in advancing women’s cause in the country, the programme, now in its 21st year, has played a significant role in developing and advancing the career of over 1,000 girls in Nigeria.
The LEAD Camp programme’s latest edition—the eighth collaboration between Junior Achievement of Nigeria and Union Bank—was held in July 2022 with participation from over 300 girls. The week-long event was used to provide guidance and improve the skill sets of the girls in areas of financial literacy, entrepreneurship, technology, creative arts, and entertainment. Development sessions in the programme included coding, understanding sexual abuse, and personal hygiene, while the participants also received mentorship from respectable and high-ranking women in the country’s private and public sectors.
“This partnership reinforces our commitment to the push for gender equality and our focus on supporting the girl child. We are proud to see the impact of the programme on the young girls across the country, and we commend the efforts of the JAN team who work tirelessly to impact them,” Union Bank’s Brand and Marketing Officer Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem said.
