CENTRE ENCOURAGES WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN POLITICS
By Segun Awofadeji

April 9, 2004 – (This Day - Lagos) As part of efforts to encourage women's participation in politics in 2007 and beyond, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has advised all registered political parties to ensure that party constitution include provisions on affirmative action for women with a minimum of 30 per cent representation in the nomination of candidates for party primaries, elective and appointive positions, as well as offices within the party.

This was contained in a communique presented at a Women's Leadership Training Workshop organised by CDD for women politicians in North-eastern Nigeria, with support from the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) held in Bauchi.

The communique, signed by representatives from the six states of the North-east sub-region, charged women to strive hard to be elected as party executives at all levels in their various states.

According to the communique, women politicians in the country, particularly in the North-east sub-region should form a formidable base that will promote and facilitate effective political participation of women in politics, and jealously guard their credibility and integrity as women politicians".

While urging them to engage in long term planning and organisation across gender to ensure a broad based support, the participants charged women to continue to educate one another on their rights, responsibilities and opportunities that are open to women.

From: http://allafrica.com/stories/200404090222.html