General
Experts Advocate Women Empowerment in Leadership
Some experts representing both international and local firms have joined forces to lend a voice to the empowerment of women and gender equality in leadership, especially as regards the workplace.
Chairman of Inclusion@Lloyd’s, who equally doubles as Global Chair of Aon Benfield Reinsurance, Dominic Christian; Executive Director, Navigate Consulting Africa Ltd., Egbe Oyegun-Adeoye; Managing Director, CMC Connect, Yomi Badejo-Okusanya and member Board of Directors, Global Reporting Initiative, GRI, Bekeme Masade-Olowola, were the panelists at the ‘Dive In Festival for Diversity & Inclusion In Insurance’, with the theme: ‘Empowering Women in Leadership’, which held recently in Lagos.
The event, which was a gathering of key players in the Insurance sector, basically talked to the issue of inclusion, especially of the women folk; stressing that by enabling and empowering women to lead in the workplace, an atmosphere of belonging with outstanding results is created.
According to Dominic Christian, Global Chairman, Aon, five years ago, when the first Dive In festival was launched in London, they wondered back then whether it would be popular enough to warrant an annual event.
“We had no idea how much support and enthusiasm was out there around the insurance industry for an initiative like this whose focus is on levelling the playing field for talent and supporting people to reach their true potential at work.
“Inclusion@lloyds created The Dive In Festival as an opportunity to enable open conversations around topics such as gender equality, social mobility and cultural differences, physical and mental health and well-being.
“We know that in order to unlock the business power of diversity, we need to build workplace cultures where people feel they can be themselves. We need to practice inclusive leadership – role modelling the behaviour we want to see in the business, respecting differences and creating space for everyone based on talent and equality.
“Our festival message, then as now, was that diversity and inclusion are good for business. Our industry must be one step ahead of the complex global challenges that are affecting business and the public sector – from globalisation, to climate change and cyber crime- and to do that, we need the brightest minds and the boldest innovation. That doesn’t come from groups of people who all think the same way. We need different perspectives, life experiences and cultures in our teams to see opportunities from different angles,” he said.
He added that since its launch in 2015, the festival message has spread across four continents. Christian also alluded to the fact that women represented 50 per cent of the global population, hence the importance of inclusion.
“Gender is one of the most apparent signs of diversity. Walk into any workplace and it is immediately apparent that there is a problem if the room is almost exclusively male”, he said.
Quoting from ‘The Business case for Change’, a global research published by the International Labour Organisation earlier this year which cited Nigerian companies among its respondents in Africa, he said: ‘Our findings indicate that enterprises with equal employment opportunity policies and gender-inclusive cultures are over 60 per cent more likely to have improved profits and productivity, and they are almost 60 per cent more likely to experience enhanced reputation, greater ease in attracting and retaining talent, and greater creativity and innovation. The business case for gender diversity, particularly for increasing the proportion of women in the management and board pipelines, is compelling.’
On their part, Bekeme Masade-Olowola and Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, were united in stressing the need for attitudinal change and a change of the mindset and thinking of the African woman, especially as it relates to cultural and traditional beliefs.
They were both of the opinion that the African cultural system of/and beliefs had done a lot in stifling the growth mindset of the African woman, and this, they say, had affected her performance in the work place. They also alluded to religious beliefs which had great influence on most African societies, as being a factor which had limited the Nigerian cum African woman’s ability to express herself in critical situations, rather seeing herself as being subject to the menfolk.
They unanimously posited a changed mindset and reorientation in order to get out of the mental rot affecting women.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
About $20 million has been put down by Swedfund to support efforts that limit climate change in Africa and help communities adapt to its effects.
The funds would be deployed by the Helios Climate, Energy, Adaptation and Resilience (CLEAR) Fund to back African companies that reduce emissions, strengthen resilience and create green jobs.
Swedfund’s investment is expected to contribute to significant cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and to help businesses and small farmers adapt to a changing climate.
The investment strengthens Swedfund’s work to drive a sustainable and inclusive green transition in Africa.
Africa contributes less than 3 per cent of global carbon emissions but faces some of the most severe climate impacts. At the same time, the continent’s energy demand is expected to triple by 2050.
Swedfund’s investment in Helios CLEAR will help channel capital to businesses that drive low-carbon growth in areas such as renewable energy, sustainable transport, climate-smart farming, efficient use of resources and digital climate solutions.
“By investing in this sector, we can reduce emissions, build resilience and create green jobs, all vital for sustainable growth that benefits more people.
“Africa currently receives only a small share of global climate investment, yet the potential for climate-smart business is enormous.
“Through Helios CLEAR we help build the next generation of African climate-focused businesses,” the Investment Director for Energy and Climate at Swedfund, Ms Gunilla Nilsson, stated.
Helios CLEAR Fund is a Pan African growth equity fund managed by Helios Investment Partners, one of Africa’s leading private equity firms.
The fund targets investments that deliver measurable climate mitigation and adaptation outcomes. The fund is supported by multiple development finance institutions.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A member of the House of Representatives, Mr Abdussamad Dasuki, has alleged that the gazetted tax laws are different from the ones passed by the National Assembly.
Speaking on Wednesday during plenary at the green chamber, the opposition lawmaker the emphasised that content of the tax laws as gazetted was not what members of the parliament debated, voted on and passed.
In June 2025, President Bola Tinubu signed the four tax reform bills into law, becoming an act. The new laws are the Nigeria Tax Act (NTA), 2025, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA), 2025, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act (NRSEA), 2025, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act (JRBEA), 2025.
In September, they were gazetted by the federal government.
On the floor of the House yesterday, presided over by the Speaker, Mr Tajudeed Abbas, Mr Dasuki, while raising a matter of privilege, after reviewing the gazetted law and what was passed, he found out some discrepancies, appealing to the Speaker to ensure that all relevant documents, including the harmonised versions, the votes and proceedings of both chambers, and the gazetted copies currently in circulation, are brought before the Committee of the Whole for scrutiny by all members.
He warned that allowing laws different from those duly passed by the National Assembly to be presented to Nigerians would undermine the integrity of the legislature and violate constitutional provisions.
“Mr. Speaker, I will be pleading that all the documents should be brought before the Committee of the Whole.
“The whole members should see what is in the gazetted copy and see what they passed on the floor so that we can make the relevant amendment. Mr Speaker, this is the breach of the Constitution.
“This is the breach of our laws, and this should not be taken by this House,” Mr Dasuki said when rising under Order Six, Rule Two of the House Rules on a Point of Privilege.
In his remarks, Mr Abbas promised that the parliament would look into the matter.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Over 90 illegal mining sites have been reclaimed and 300 offenders prosecuted since the deployment of the Mining Marshals, a specialised task force established to secure Nigeria’s mineral assets.
This information was disclosed by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr Dele Alake, at the South West Leaders Conference held recently in Akure, the Ondo state capital.
He described the crackdown as a turning point in the battle against mineral theft and insecurity in mining communities.
“We created the Mining Marshals to tackle insecurity and illegal mining head-on. I’m proud to say that peace is returning to our mining fields,” he said.
According to Mr Alake, the initiative has strengthened investor confidence and improved government revenue.
“When you protect the minerals, you protect national wealth. That’s exactly what we’ve done with the Mining Marshals,” he stated.
He noted that beyond arrests and reclamations, the Marshals have restored safety in key mining corridors and curbed the activities of illegal foreign operators. “We are taking back control of our natural resources from criminal networks,” Mr Alake emphasised.
The minister reiterated the government’s commitment to maintaining the momentum through digital surveillance, stronger local intelligence, and inter-agency coordination.
“Our success proves that security is the bedrock of sustainable mining. We will keep refining this model until every site in Nigeria is safe, legal, and productive,” he added.
Launched last year, the marshals were given the mandate to stem theft and all nefarious activities around the nation’s minerals so that benefits are not extracted by the wrong people.
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