Sustainable Development: Meeting SDG 5 is key to meeting the rest goals- Dr. Jadesimi, MD LADOL Free Zone

This morning on ‘ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ we welcome Dr. Amy Jadesimi, Managing Director of LADOL Free Zone,  an industrial free zone, which has developed in over the last 20 years and targeting a range of sectors to support, most importantly the agriculture sector.

Passionate about women empowerment by providing equal opportunities for all, she talks on the importance of taking requisite action through feasible programmes to empower women to meet the SDG 5- Gender Equality.

Achieving SDG 5 is key to driving the other SDGs, considering women’s roles in every area of life, Jadesimi highlights and urges every woman and young girl to confidently express an attitude of their importance to the attainment of the SDGs.

She talks on the need for banks, through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the private sector, to specifically set up funds for women who run enterprises.

Jadesimi recognises that some funds already exist for SMEs, but advocates that equal amount or even more like between 10- 20 per cent, be specifically set aside to lend to women-led companies and companies with a strong presence of women in their management team.

She also wants ‘positive discrimination’ in support of women, who have shown so much commitment to work. “That means there is need for restructuring, because the imbalance is so great,” she says, and backs her argument with data, which show that it is about 11 times harder for women to raise money for their businesses than it is for men.

She notes, however, that on the other hand, data show that it is better to give money to a woman’s business, because they repay their loans and their companies are more sustainable

Dr. Jadesimi shares more insights on women empowerment and sustainable development.

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