The Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, has called on the global community to scale up support for women’s economic empowerment, describing it as a critical pathway to poverty reduction, equity, and sustainable peace.
Mahmoud made the call at an economic empowerment forum for women political leaders and economic experts, held on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
She noted that under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Nigeria has placed gender inclusion, youth development, and entrepreneurship at the heart of its development priorities, thereby creating opportunities for women to thrive as innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders.
Reaffirming the commitment of the FCT Administration, Mahmoud pledged to foster an enabling environment where women have equitable access to finance, skills, and markets to fully contribute to national growth and development. 
“This gathering underscores the truth that gender equality is not a privilege but a fundamental right, and financing inclusive growth is a responsibility we must all shoulder,” Mahmoud said.
The Minister commended the organizers for providing a platform to exchange ideas and strategies to accelerate women’s empowerment, adding that placing women at the centre of economic development amounts to investing in the transformation of families, communities, and nations.
The forum, themed “Scaling Women’s Economic Empowerment: Financing Inclusive Growth for Peace, Development, and Human Rights”, brought together policymakers, political leaders, industry giants, innovators, diplomats, and other stakeholders to chart new pathways for advancing women’s roles in global development.
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