Nigerian Stock Exchange Boss Calls for Acceleration of Gender Equality

The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema has called for the acceleration of gender equality, saying women and men must take bold steps towards closing the gender gap.

Onyema made this call while speaking at a symposium organised to celebrate International Women’s Day 2018 at the stock exchange in Lagos on Thursday.

In line with the global theme for this year’s celebration, “Press for progress,” the NSE’s symposium was designed to motivate and unite everyone to think, act and be gender inclusive. The event brought together over 200 women and men from the NSE, listed companies, dealing member firms, media, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), civil societies and government, to discuss how to help women realise their dreams.

Speaking at the symposium, the NSE boss said: “This year’s theme is not just another theme for another edition of the International women’s day. It is a call to action to spur women and men into taking bold steps towards closing the gender gap.”

“At the NSE, we are playing our part in helping to achieve gender parity. Today, we have a female to male employees’ ratio of 1:2 and we are taking key steps to increase the number of women in our employ, especially those in leadership positions. Early this year, we promoted Ms. Tinuade Awe to Executive Director, Regulations, and consequently she is the number two person at the exchange. More importantly, the exchange took steps to address the lack of female representation on its National Council, by electing three eminent female members at the last AGM. Today, we have 23 per cent female representation as against zero per cent representation in 2016,” Onyema added.

In her keynote address, the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Laure Beaufils, commended the NSE for setting out a day to celebrate women.

“I want to thank the CEO of the Stock Exchange for making this day happen – not all Stock Exchanges across the world hold a day like today to celebrate women,” she said.

She called for resilience in the pursuit of gender equality, saying we must not grow tired because change is not happening fast enough.

“We must not be afraid to rock the boat. We need more women on every table where decisions are made. We must push the private sector to do a lot better than it currently is. And we all, each and every one of us, in our families, our communities, our work place and in our politics, we all have a role to play in pressing for change,” she stated.