Upscaling the Gender Gap Index in Nigeria

Daily, the world opens to the reality of the potential inherent in the joint and equal participation of every gender, especially for the attainment of development goals. Important steps are being made to blur the disparity that once limited the opportunities that were available to women. Women are increasingly presented with the deserving platforms to take the lead of major organisations, and investment projects. Kunle Aderinokun reports

As suggested by the Global Gender Gap Report 2021, globally, 68 per cent of the gap in catching up with gender parity has been covered despite the setback of -0.6per cent in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. These figures, however, are greatly influenced by the performances of large countries.

Nigeria has been able to cover 62.7per cent of the gender gap lurking in various industries, 0.8per cent growth from last year. This growth places the country 139th globally. A lot of the progress recorded in the Nigerian economy can be accorded to the involvement of the private sector, a key driver of the Nigerian economy which has provided the base for the uphill move of 5 per cent in economic participation and opportunity index score. As more opportunities present themselves for women they keep holding onto it and proving their worth in any industry or sector they find themselves in, adding immeasurably to their field.

Moving the spotlight to leadership. In 2020, 20.9 per cent of the board directorships of the Nigeria Stock Exchange top 20 companies by market capitalisation were held by women. Going by the results of the PWR NGX Top 20 Gender diversity scorecard, one year later, a growth of 2.3per cent occurred on the wings of the 30per cent female representation of 25per cent – a decline from 30per cent – of the top 20 companies listed on the NGX. Lafarge Africa Plc maintained dominance with an increase from 40per cent in 2020 to 45.5per cent in 2020. It is no coincidence that the major drivers of this growth can be accorded to the top-performing industries such as Financial Services, Consumer Goods, Industrial Goods, ICT and Oil & Gas.

Setting Trends

Getting impacts that transcend a particular industry is not just a coincidence, it is a function of a conscious adherence to a well-thought-out strategy. A strategy that is evident in the commitment to international standards for the inclusion and development of opportunities for women.

Emerging as one of the five top-performing companies blurring the gap in gender roles and encouraging equality and diversity within its ranks, the recognition of Lafarge Africa is on the premise of the recent IFC Gender Equality study, conducted in partnership with Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) to assess gender gaps at 30 leading companies listed on NGX.

The Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, NGX Group, Mr Oscar N. Onyema, OON, spoke at the virtual launch of the Nigeria2Equal (N2E) Peer Learning Platform and Gender Gap Assessment Report, a collaboration between The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group and the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX). He said, “As the first multi-stakeholder country project focused on reducing gender gaps in Nigeria’s private sector companies, Nigeria2Equal is unique in its design to ensure a quantitative approach to improving gender equality amongst the participating companies through careful research.”
“In addition, the program’s approach to celebrating industry best practices and promoting the application of gender-smart solutions at the firm and sector level is best in class and will be celebrated for years to come.”

Lafarge Africa’s Country Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Khaled El Dokani, represented by Communications, Public Affairs & Sustainable Development Director, Mrs. Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, during the launch event, spoke on the Business Case for Achieving Gender Parity in Nigeria: From the CEO’s Perspective’. He said: “We are extremely delighted for this recognition. At Lafarge, we are further driven by narrowing the gap, which is a particular nuance in the manufacturing sector. To underscore this, we have set ambitious diversity and inclusion targets.”

According to the Organisation and Human Resources Director of Lafarge Africa Plc, Gbemiga Owolabi Lafarge Africa believes that its success is directly linked to how diverse and inclusive the company is. “We continue to improve on our various employee initiatives towards ensuring that every employee has the same opportunity, irrespective of gender, to excel,” he remarked.

Championing the call for more inclusion of women in leadership, the release of the inaugural edition of the PWR NGX Top 20 Gender diversity scorecard galvanised huge momentum in corporate Nigeria, raising awareness of the business case for gender diversity in boardrooms. Responding to the scorecards and the call to be more inclusive in the leadership of large companies, at the heart of company strategies, were an increasingly complex and volatile business environment with exponential levels of risk that can be mitigated with diversity. Hence, a direct impact on the inclusivity of more women in boardrooms.

Topping the scorecard in the 2021 edition is Lafarge Africa Plc, a leading innovative and sustainable building solutions provider in the construction industry. Churning out sustainability initiatives more often than not, Lafarge Africa Plc has not ceased to reassure of its commitment to global development standards. Abiding by the guidance of the SDGs and other sustainable development frameworks, the company has crafted strategies that cut through delivering building affordable and sustainable solution products but also delivering on community development and gender inclusion within its ranks and in host communities.

It is worthy of note that before this recognition from PWR Lafarge Africa announced the graduation of 31 female truck drivers out of 52 enrolled in 2021, through the Lafarge Driving Institute (LDI) in Calabar, Cross River State. The Lafarge Driving Institute was set up to ensure safety on roads as enrollees were taken through months of rigorous training and practical sessions on the road as well as simulator exercises that exposed them to defensive driving techniques. Upon their graduation, they were absorbed as a key part of the logistics value chain to ensure the adequate and timely delivery of products to customers in a safe, efficient and timely manner even as the gap in gender roles are being blurred.

The Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Lolu Alade-Akinyemi, has reiterated on several occasions that Lafarge Africa is constantly investing in critical areas of the business to guarantee the safety of all stakeholders at all times. He noted that Lafarge Africa is committed to sustainability and innovation as the vision is to be the global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions.

COVID-19 Effect

At the start of the pandemic, several norms were altered and growth stalled along the shore of government restrictions imposed to curb the pandemic. International Labour Organization (ILO) projections on the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic suggest that employment declined by 114 million jobs relative to 2019, and if potential employment growth in 2020 is considered, it could reach 144 million. Even as the world opens up through the recovery stage, not much has made the times better for women who may have resigned, lost their jobs and are seeking re-entry or those hoping to get first-time entry into the labour force. The progress that was being made before the enforcement of the global lockdown has suffered setbacks as women who were frequently employed in sectors directly disrupted by the lockdown, are consequently experiencing higher unemployment rates, lower hiring rates and delayed hiring into leadership roles. Among the women who have continued to work throughout the pandemic, some have cut down on their working hours more than men and some have pulled back from promotions and leadership roles, Global Gender Gap Report 2021 suggests.

Progress has been recorded but just not the desired goal yet. Much more needs to be done to accelerate the rate of change and unlock untapped value for businesses and communities. Corporate boards currently are the custodians of economic prosperity and have a key role to play in achieving a satisfactory result.