Challenges faced by the African girl-child, and solutions towards such encounters were some of the issues discussed at a webinar organised by the Commonwealth Business Women (CBW)-Africa, as part of the organisers activities to mark the 2023 International Day of the Girl Child, which held recently, with the theme, “our time is now-our rights–our” future’’.

President of the organisation, Mrs. Ngozi Oyewole, who spoke during the webinar, identified some of the challenges to include early marriage, female genital, cutting gender discrimination, cultural and religious limitations, poverty, and illiteracy, among others.

Mrs Ngozi Oyewole, President, CBW-Africa

ccording to her, some of these challenges can be eradicated by offering girls quality education, which in turn will uplift their families and the world.

In her words: “All girls and boys must have access to quality primary and secondary education to end poverty by 2030.’’

She stressed the need for the government to make sanitary towels free for all girls, adding, “this will improve the much needed hygiene and the stigma attached to it in some areas. This is because some girls are forced to stop learning because they can’t manage their periods.

“This is one of the major reasons some families push their girls into child marriages if they can no longer afford to provide for them.

“So these child brides who miss out on education are also more likely to experience early pregnancy, malnourishment, domestic violence, and pregnancy complications.

“Quality education must include cultural and social standards that address gender inequality, by providing appropriate education that will entrench those traditional values instead of overturning them”.

On the role of mothers in training their girl child, Oyewole said: “In training the girl child, mothers should remember that she is the girl’s first teacher.

“Teaching her love is by showing it , closeness and openness are the key words in a standard mother-daughter relationship. A mother should never see her daughter as a rival and must never abandon that girl child to her fate.

“This is because there is lack of confidence between the mothers and their daughters, so much that the daughters keep their feelings far from the understanding of their mothers, instead they confide in mothers outside their homes, and friends for solutions to their emotional reactions”.

She advised that girls should understand that they are amazing, strong, beautiful, worthy, and full of potentials that are able to increase the economic growth of any country.

Dr Anire Okogun, Deputy Country Head , CBW-Africa

On her part, Feyisola Abiru, CEO of H&Y Furniture Limited, stressed the need for girls to focus on soft skills, which, according to her, would go a long way in empowering them

Also, speaking at the event, Mrs. Tobore Olumoye, a Personal Finance Coach at Tobore Olumoye Consulting, called for increase in the consciousness of people to offer new opportunities for girls, adding that such new opportunities will aid them to achieve their set goals in life.

CEO Dindu Energy Resources, who also spoke during the webinar, urged women who have great accomplishments to assist those who are struggling to survive.