A Nigerian female-focused advocacy organisation, ElectHER, has been awarded an annual grant of $50,000 by Platform Capital Group to enhance women’s empowerment and political participation.

Development Diaries gathered that the grant, based on an agreement signed by ElectHER and Platform Capital Group, will enable the implementation of activities aimed at increasing women’s political representation and leadership in Africa’s most populous nation.

This grant is crucially imperative because available data shows that the overall political representation of women in government in Nigeria is less than seven percent.

It is understood that the immediate activities to be funded include the setting up and launching of the ElectHER Academy, which is aimed at providing access to quality online and offline training for at least 1,000 women interested in politics.

The funds, it was learnt, will also support the pioneer batch of the ElectHER Future Lawmakers Programme, a six-month intensive fellowship and incubator programme aimed at identifying young women and equipping them with the tools, network, and resources they need to become future lawmakers in Nigeria.

Additionally, Platform Capital will support ElectHER in building institutional capacity and brand awareness globally for its strategic long-term goals in driving female participation in policy-making, civic engagement and running for political office.

‘The great work that ElectHER is doing is aligned with our gender equity goals at Platform Capital. Promoting women into leadership and supporting their participation in politics, government and business across all levels of society is key if we want to ensure the Africa of our dreams’, Chairman of Platform Capital Group, Akintoye Akindele, said.

‘Women are the cornerstone of the society and data has proven that empowering a woman has a greater net effect on the community. We must embrace this and continue to uplift women for the development of our continent’.