As part of its commitment to women’s empowerment and political participation, Platform Capital Group has committed to supporting ElectHER, a Nigerian female-focused advocacy organisation with an annual grant of $50,000.
The agreement signed by ElectHER and Platform Capital Group, for an annual disbursement in perpetuity starting July 2020, will enable the implementation of activities aimed at increasing women’s political representation and leadership in Nigeria. Immediate activities to be funded include the setting up and launching the ElectHER Academy which will provide access to quality online and offline training for at least 1,000 women interested in politics.
The funds will also support the pioneer batch of the ElectHER Future Lawmakers Programme, a 6-month intensive fellowship and incubator programme aimed at identifying young women and equipping them with the tools, network, and resources they need to become future lawmakers in Nigeria.
In addition to the above, Platform Capital Group, an organisation comprising Platform Capital Investment Partners, Unicorn Group and Diatom Impact, will also support ElectHER in building institutional capacity and brand awareness globally for its strategic long-term goals in driving female participation in policy-making, civic engagement and running for political office.
In Nigeria, about 51% of women are involved in voting during elections. Despite these, women are still under-represented in both elective and appointive positions. Available statistics have revealed that the overall political representation of women in government in Nigeria is less than 7%. Even the recent COVID-19 pandemic revealed that across the globe, women at the helm of institutions carried out effective and inclusive COVID-19 responses, from the highest levels of decision-making to frontline service delivery. Countries led by women seemed to be particularly successful in fighting the coronavirus; lending credence to the assertion that African women must also play an active role in policy-making and leadership for the development of the continent.
Commenting on the partnership, Dr. Akintoye Akindele, Chairman, Platform Capital Group said, “The great work that ElectHER is doing is aligned with our gender equity goals at Platform Capital. Promoting women into leadership and supporting their participation in politics, government and business across all levels of society is key if we want to ensure the Africa of our dreams. Women are the cornerstone of the society and data has proven that empowering a woman has a greater net effect on the community. We must embrace this and continue to uplift women for the development of our continent.”
Director of Impact and Research at Diatom lmpact, Dr. Anna Bethune also remarked “We are so excited to see the change ElectHER will make in Nigerian politics in the coming years. Female political leadership is vital to the development of a functioning democracy and equitable society.”
Commenting on the partnership, Co-founders of ElectHER, Ibijoke Faborode and Abosede George-Ogan both confirmed how thrilled they are to get support for ElectHER and expressed gratitude to Platform Capital Group for the vote of confidence promising to deliver in line with the specific project deliverables both aimed at advancing women’s representation and leadership in Nigeria. They said, “Women’s political leadership is critical to Nigeria’s socio-economic development, the obvious gaps in our policies and legislations are a reflection of the lack of equal representation that currently prevails in Nigeria. The institutional support from Platform Capital Group will drive the overall growth of ElectHER and help fulfil our vision of raising a new generation of empowered and enabled female political leaders.”
