Aviation Minister, Transport Workers Make Case For Women Empowerment, Gender Balancing

The Minister of Aviation & Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN) says “there is need for deliberate efforts to create enabling environment to empower women and give them more opportunities to thrive in the transport business. After all, it is said that women are better managers.”

In his keynote address presented at the GTP Women In Transport Conference held in Lagos, Keyamo who was represented at the event by Mrs. Obiageli Orah, Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection at Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), said the theme of the conference, Mindset Plus Skillset: Championing Inclusive Agenda For Women In The Nigerian Transport Industry is very key in the industry’s development.

He said: “There is need to create windows for our women to be able to access grants and cheap loans specifically tailored towards helping them to acquire relevant skills in any area of transport management. This will help to bridge the widening gender gap in the sector.”

“This conference presents a platform for us to discuss major policy issues such as training and gender balancing in the transport ecosystem in Nigeria. Suffice it to say that human resource is the key driver of transport management and administration. This makes the issue of training imperative to enable operators acquire the right skills to be able to manage such a dynamic sector. This is even more important given the massive technological advancement experienced in the sector currently.

The society is heterogeneous in nature. It is important that policy makers keep this in mind to ensure that the transport sector which has become notorious for male domination is opened up for increased women participation,” said Keyamo.

He added that “the aviation sector is already championing this course. Today in aviation, you have women occupying strategic positions at different levels contributing to the general growth of the sub-sector. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), for example, has a woman as the Managing Director and Chief Executive with many Directors who are women too. There are many female pilots, aeronautical engineers, air traffic controllers and so on at the operational level in the industry.

Gender balancing is pivotal to sustained synergy and teamwork required among cooperating agencies and industry leaders to ensure enhanced transport development while giving flesh to the mantra of inclusivity by this administration.”

Delivering his Goodwill Message, the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by Lagos State Commissioner For Transport, Honourable Oluwaseun Osiyemi noted that in Nigeria and indeed, globally, the transport sector has long been marked by a gender disparity that hinders its full potentials.

“Women, who make up nearly half of our population, are under-represented in decision making roles, technical fields and even as users of safe and equitable transport services. This imbalance is more than a social issue. It is an economic challenge, he said.

According to 2020 report by ILO, companies with higher gender diversity are 21% more likely to achieve above-average profitability. He added that “achieving an inclusive agenda for women in the Nigerian transport industry is not the responsibility of one government, one organization or one individual. It is a collective mission” and he urged policy makers to design and implement frameworks that prioritize gender equity in transport policies and programmes.

In her presentation, Mrs. Orah said “what women need is to connect, engage and inspire. We are not an Island. We still need to work with people. We have the wisdom with which we need to support the men.”

The Head of Strategic Partnerships and Investments in Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Mrs. Kemi Williams said a shift in mindset is the driver of any policy change, adding that 45% of managers at LAMATA are women. She stated that the development of LAMATA Academy was in the pipeline with the primary focus of training and equipping transport workers.

In her presentation, former chairperson of Nigerian Institute of Engineering, Mrs. Fumilade Akingbagbohun said: “To build a thriving and diverse transport sector, we must collaborate and recognize the achievements of women in the industry by creating platforms that showcase their successes and inspire future greatness.”

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