In its effort to promote gender equality and thought-provoking conversations to bring about an equal future for all, consumer goods Company, Procter & Gamble Nigeria in partnership with UN Women recently hosted its flagship Gender Equality summit.
Hosted virtually for the first time, the event saw distinguished advocates and personalities from government, industry, civil society, and the media come together to address the challenges of gender and women’s equality, which have been severely impacted by the pandemic.
Built on the theme ‘#Unsaid and #Undone’, speakers and panelists discussed some of the stereotypical expectations from both genders, re-occurring gender challenges and provided practical insights on how to address some of the challenges presented by gender inequality, amplify the narrative, and further the cause of gender equality across sectors, industries, and cultures in Nigeria.
Speaking at the summit, the Managing Director of Procter & Gamble Nigeria, Mr. Adil Farhat, announced P&G Nigeria 2021 gender equality declarations which included the introduction of ‘Share the Care’ policy which grants parental leave of 8 weeks for all new biological or adoptive parents and a 6-month maternity leave for birth mothers.
Farhat also noted that P&G will educate more than 50,000 adolescent girls on puberty and menstrual hygiene over the next three years in Nigeria through our Always Keeping Girls in School (AKGIS) program which will also provide a year supply of sanitary pads so that they can commit to their education and their future.
P&G will also double its target spend on women owned businesses over the next three years and its mini MBA will reach over 50 women business owners over the same period. The firm will also maintain a 50-50 gender balance across our management workforce in Nigeria.
Farhat reiterated the company’s commitment to driving gender equality in Nigeria and how P&G has been at the forefront of gender inclusion.
“At P&G, gender equality remains one of our sustainability foci. Beyond this, we have ensured that we practice and enforce this principle in our workplace. As a company in Nigeria, we have ensured 50 per cent female representation at managerial levels and over 98 per cent of our employees are local talent,” Adil revealed.
