Leverage Technology to Enhance Gender Parity, Buhari’s Aide Urges Female Lawyers

*Former AG laments dearth of female SAN, representation in governance

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Ease of Doing Business, Dr. Jumoke Oduwale has challenged female lawyers in the country to leverage on technology in order to compete favourable with their counterpart in the legal profession.

The charge was as a result of the increasing role technology play in nearly all human endeavours.
Jumoke, who spoke as Guest at the Nigerian Bar Association Women Forum (NBAWF) third Annual General Conference and International Women’s Day event in Abuja, argued that with the adoption of technology, women coulf break into new terrains, achieve more and compete favourable with their male counterpart.
She disclosed that the federal government, through the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) Systemic Interventions, has since 2016, delivered over 280 verifiable reforms targeted at enabling the business environment for micro, small and medium size enterprises, many of which are female owned businesses.

Meanwhile speaking during a session with the theme: Accelerating Her Career Through Technology,” a former Attorney General of Ekiti State, Chief Wale Fapohunda, pointed out that technology alone cannot address the issue of gender parity in the legal profession.
While calling for a concerted and deliberate efforts on the part of all, he submitted that, “one of the major losers in the last electoral process is the women. They don’t have a president, Vice-president, in the National Assembly we dropped from eight senators to three, although at the House of Representatives there’s one addition, and for now no governor.”

Similarly, Fapohunda bemoaned the drop in the number of female SAN, noting that the number of female SAN have been shrinking in the last five years.
He stated that the law profession and the country cannot hope to grow without removing obstacles on the part of women.

In her welcome, the Chairperson of the NBAWF, Chinyere Okorocha, stated that the conference theme: ‘Tech Her in: Innovation for Gender Equity,’ was fashioned after the 2023 International Women’s Day (IWD) and the United Nations, which was centered around the use of innovation and technology for gender equality.
“The thinking is that through the innovative use of technology, female lawyers and indeed female professionals in general will become better positioned and empowered to overcome the limitations and stereotypical biases that traditionally hold them back in their careers and in life in general,” she said.

Okorocha accordingly urged all to participate fully as they reflect on the gains made as a society in the area of gender parity, as well as identifying areas where more work needed to be done.

On her part, the Chairperson of the Conference Planning Committee, 2023, Dr. Foluke Dada, who is also the Acting Dean, College of Law, Caleb University, Lagos, said female lawyers through embracing technology could accelerate their growth in the profession.
“To meet the challenges of changing the world, female lawyers must position themselves to take up the opportunity that digital technology and innovation present.

“Online experience and opportunities are crucial for women to advance both their career and family life in achieving a work life balance and overcome many of the hurdles that increase the rate of attrition that prevent them from getting to the peak of their profession,” she said.