African Women on Board (AWB) will on Friday, November 26 host an event in Lagos to unveil its global Safety in the Workplace initiative.
The event is being staged in partnership with the faculty of law of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Association of Company Secretaries and Legal Advisers (ACSLA), and leading law firms and private sector organisations.
It will feature a number of high-profile speakers from the worlds of business, law and politics including deputy vice-chancellor of UNILAG, Prof. Ayo Atsenuwa; US ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leonard; chairman, MTN Nigeria, Ernest Ndukwe; and chairman, NESG, Asue Ighodalo.
AWB’s Safety in the (Legal) Workplace has been designed to facilitate systems change directly on the ground. Also, a dedicated gender equity certification programme will be unveiled – providing assessments, recommendations and training – to help organisations and HR/employment practitioners implement safer working environments.
“We’re delighted to welcome such a distinguished line-up of stakeholders from the Nigerian public and private sectors to speak at this important event,” said founder and co-chair of AWB, Nkiru Balonwu.
“Most adults spend most of their waking lives at work, but for women in particular, these environments all too often become challenging ones. Issues such as bullying, sexual harassment, emotional and financial abuse, and broader inequality have not gone away and worse still – if left unchecked – such environments can fuel cultures that end up facilitating gender-based violence (GBV).”
Introducing the initiative, Balonwu said “Our new Safety in the Workplace initiative has been specifically designed to facilitate real systems change from the ground up, reshaping traditional working environments to become places that accommodate growth and encourage women to realise their full potential. It’s important also to note that while this is a Nigeria-led initiative, the issue of workplace violence against women remains prominent around the world and must be tackled in a joined-up way across society.”
AWB chairperson Prof Chioma Agomo said, “I am quite convinced that we are going in the right direction together with the right partners, using a replicable strategy to create safer workplaces globally – educational institutions, Law firms, professional bodies and the private sector.”
