The Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women have pledged to deepen collaboration to improve the welfare and socio-economic well-being of women living with HIV in the state.
The commitment was made during a courtesy visit by officials of UN Women to the ministry, where both parties discussed areas of partnership aimed at supporting vulnerable women and advancing gender equality.
Speaking during the meeting, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Bolaji Dada, reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to supporting women living with HIV through its empowerment and welfare programmes.
According to her, the ministry’s mandate covers indigent women, widows, professional women, survivors of domestic violence, women living with disabilities and other vulnerable groups across Lagos State.
“Our mandate is the welfare of women in Lagos State, including women living with HIV. We do not discriminate. Once a woman requires empowerment and support, we ensure she gets the necessary assistance because a healthy nation is a wealthy nation,” she said.
Dada explained that the ministry had continued to implement its economic empowerment programme, which provides vocational and entrepreneurial training to women and equips them with skills for financial independence.
She disclosed that women living with HIV had benefited from the programme through collaborations with state-owned hospitals, with more than 200 women in each participating facility reportedly trained and empowered.
The commissioner also assured the UN women’s delegation of the ministry’s readiness to sustain partnerships with development organisations and other stakeholders to enhance support for women across the state.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Rianat Onigbanjo, described collaboration as essential to achieving greater impact in the lives of women and girls.
She said stronger partnerships between government institutions and development organisations would improve interventions targeted at vulnerable women and encourage more women to access healthcare services, including HIV testing and counselling.
Earlier, the Acting Deputy Representative of UN Women, Patience Ekeoba, highlighted the organisation’s efforts to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in Nigeria.
She said UN Women works with federal and state governments to support policies and laws that protect the rights of women and girls, focusing on governance and leadership, women’s participation, ending violence against women and girls, and addressing harmful laws and practices.
Ekeoba said the organisation was seeking collaboration with the ministry to identify women living with HIV as a priority group for targeted interventions while strengthening existing support mechanisms.
The meeting ended with both parties expressing their commitment to expanding cooperation to improve the lives of women and girls across Lagos State.