Menu

The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), in partnership with International Finance Corporation (IFC), UN Women, United Nation Global Compact (UNGC), World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) and Sustainable Stock Exchange Initiative (SSEI) will host a half-day symposium and ‘Ring the Bell’ for gender equality at the NSE in Lagos. The event is being organised to commemorate the International Women’s Day (IWD) 2019.

The IWD – which holds on March 8 every year – is a day for celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women around the world. The day also marks a call-to-action for accelerating gender parity. The IWD 2019 campaign theme of #BalanceforBetter is a call-to-action for driving gender balance across the world.

The NSE symposium, also themed “Balance for Better,” will be headlined by Eme Essien, IFC’s Country Director who will discuss opportunities for women in key industries and share insights on how technology can bridge the gender gap. Other participants at the event will be Serah Makka-Ugbabe, Country Director, ONE Campaign; Olukemi Awodein, Managing Director, Chapel Hill Denham; Olusola Amusan, Philanthropies Lead, Microsoft Nigeria; Lady Sandra Aguebor, Founder, Lady Mechanic Initiative; Dr. Ola Brown, Managing Director, Flying Doctors Nigeria; and Debola Williams, Founder, Red Media Africa.

“As a sustainable stock exchange, gender balance is at the heart of NSE’s Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility strategy; we are building a hub where employees have access to the same opportunities and are able to grow their career irrespective of their gender,” said Olumide Orojimi, Head of Corporate Communications at NSE.

The Nigerian bourse also said the IWD 2019 provides an opportunity for participants, men and women alike, to partake in sharing stimulating stories of women’s achievements as well as inspire other women to live up to their true potential. The event will showcase the NSE’s and its partners’ commitment to supporting the aspirations of women and girls as an essential component for building a more sustainable world.

“We promote a work environment that is inclusive as we believe that achieving gender equality is paramount to developing the society. We have a female to male employee ratio of 1:2 and we are making sure-footed steps to increase the number of women in our employment, especially those in leadership positions”, Orojimi added.

The symposium is supported by Nasdaq, House of Tara, Shuga Plum, Modara Natural Beauty Products, Coco Ribbon and Olori Cosmetics. The global campaign theme of the IWD 2019 will continue all year long to encourage action, according to the IWD community.