Ambrose raises concern over delay in women’s reserved seats bill
The Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperative, Trade, and Investment, Folashade Ambrose, has expressed concern over delays in passing the proposed Reserved Seats Bill for women, warning that it could
The Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperative, Trade, and Investment, Folashade Ambrose, has expressed concern over delays in passing the proposed Reserved Seats Bill for women, warning that it could weaken women's representation ahead of the 2027 elections.
Ambrose spoke at the 2026 International Women’s Day celebration held at Alausa, Ikeja.
She said the inability to operationalize the bill before party primaries could limit its impact on candidate emergence and electoral outcomes.
“The time available to operationalize critical proposals that expand participation, especially through the Reserved Seats Bill for women, is now shorter,” she said.
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The commissioner noted that recent adjustments to the election timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had further narrowed the window for reforms to boost women’s participation in governance.
According to her, if the bill does not take effect before party primaries, it will have little or no influence on candidate selection.
“If they do not influence candidacy, they cannot influence outcomes. And if outcomes remain unchanged, a significant portion of the women's population will remain underrepresented for another electoral cycle,” she added.
Ambrose described the issue as one that transcends policy, stressing that it touches on fairness, inclusion, and national development.
Despite the concerns, she highlighted the Lagos State Government's ongoing efforts to strengthen women’s economic empowerment. She cited interventions by the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), which she said had supported thousands of female entrepreneurs through funding, training, and mentorship.
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She also referenced the N10 billion Lagos State Access to Finance through Cooperatives (LASMECO) program, implemented in partnership with the Bank of Industry and Sterling Bank, offering non-collateralized loans of up to N10 million at single-digit interest rates to cooperative-based MSMEs.
Ambrose added that capacity-building initiatives such as the Lagos State Export Readiness Programme (LASERP) had trained 252 SMEs in export development, with 20 businesses sponsored to participate in an intra-African trade fair in Algiers.
She reiterated the state government’s commitment to expanding opportunities for women across economic and leadership spaces.
“Economic empowerment and political inclusion must go hand in hand,” she said.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Babatunde Onigbanjo, said women’s empowerment remains critical to economic growth and social stability.
He noted that the government had sustained targeted initiatives, including cooperative development schemes, access to low-interest financing, and market linkage programs, to support women-led enterprises.
Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Commerce, Cooperative, Trade and Investment, Nana Adeeyo, said efforts were ongoing to help women transition from informal to formal business structures.
She said formalization would enable women entrepreneurs to access larger markets, government contracts, and institutional financing, thereby boosting their economic potential.
