Kenechukwu Ofomah
Awka
The Anambra State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Esther Onyekesi, has welcomed the Women Information Network (WINET) to the state, assuring the organisation of the ministry’s readiness to partner in advancing gender equality and combating gender-based violence (GBV).
Receiving a delegation of WINET during an advocacy visit to her office in Awka, Onyekesi described collaboration between government and civil society organisations as essential to achieving meaningful impact in protecting the rights of women and girls.
The advocacy visit forms part of WINET’s broader South-East campaign to build stronger women’s movements, deepen collaboration among stakeholders and strengthen institutional responses to gender-based violence through strategic partnerships with government, civil society organisations and development partners.
“We are working together. We need one another to excel. It’s not something you do alone. I can’t do it without you people,” the commissioner said.
He stressed that the ministry remains open to initiatives that align with the state’s development priorities.
She encouraged the organisation to maintain close communication with the ministry, saying, “For something like this, a call is okay.
“Just call me so that when you are coming, I know you are coming. You are welcome. You are always welcome in Anambra State.”
Earlier, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of WINET, Mrs. Chinelo Dim, who represented the Executive Director, said the advocacy visit was part of efforts to strengthen collaboration with the state government under the project, “Strengthening Women’s Rights Organizations in Nigeria for Gender-Based Violence Prevention,” supported by the Amandla Institute for Policy and Leadership Advancement.
According to her, WINET is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation committed to building an informed society where women and girls know, exercise and enjoy their rights while fulfilling their civic responsibilities.
Dim explained that one of the major activities already implemented under the project was a national webinar titled “Strengthening Women’s Movement: A Strategy for Gender-Based Violence Prevention in Nigeria,” organised to commemorate International Women’s Day.
She said the webinar brought together participants from across Nigeria, including persons with disabilities, and equipped them with practical tools and strategies for strengthening the women’s movement and promoting coordinated campaigns against GBV.
She added that the project also involves compiling a directory of women-led organisations, male allies, community-based organisations and Sexual Assault Referral Centres across the five South-East states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.
Dim informed the commissioner that WINET would soon organise capacity-building workshops in the participating states and invited the ministry to participate or nominate a representative, while seeking the state’s partnership and support to ensure the successful implementation of the project’s activities in Anambra.
WINET embarked on the visit in company of some women-led non-governmental organizations.
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