In line with the 2023 IWD theme, ‘Embrace Equity’, the event line up included a panel discussion that dissected ways in which individuals, organisations, businesses and governments can support the push for gender balance in today’s world.

Speaking on the essence of the celebration, Franklin Ali, Chief Human Resources Officer, Interswitch Nigeria said “International Women’s Day is not only an opportunity for us to reflect on the progress we’ve made towards gender equality, but also to celebrate and appreciate the phenomenal women in our organization who have contributed immensely to the growth of Interswitch with their unwavering commitment.

“Achieving gender equity is not only a plus for the society as a whole, but also an imperative for sustainable business growth. It is important to note that a diverse and inclusive workplace leads to better decision-making, and increased innovation which in turn improves our customer experience,” Ali added.

Affirming this, speakers on the panel also recognised that a diverse and inclusive workplace is essential for the growth of female employees and the business at large. “By creating a work environment where everyone feels valued and included, organisations can tap into the full potential of its employees and better serve its customers,” Deborah Odim, Founder and CEO, Gush Lifestyle, said.

While admitting that women are achieving outstanding feats across many fields, the panelists called out the need for more recognition and support for womenfolk.

According to Ifeoluwa Dare-Johnson, Founder and CEO, Healthtracka, “70 percent of women make up the global healthcare workforce, while only 6.7 percent of funding goes to female-owned healthcare businesses, undermining their capacity to build businesses. “

Other notable female entrepreneurs who made up the panel include Stella Ndekile, Founder and CEO of Nuban Beauty and Blessing Adesiyan, Founder and CEO of MH Worklife.

To wrap up the panel session, women were encouraged to emulate the qualities of other great women who have made a mark on society, and to strive for the best in their various endeavors.

Highlighting the company’s commitment to gender diversity and inclusion, in 2022, Interswitch emerged as one of Nigeria’s top five leading companies in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) according to a report by advisory consulting firm, Hofstede Insights.

Each year, International Women’s Day takes place on the 8th of March (#IWD2023) to celebrate the cultural, political, and economic achievements of women globally, and to also re-echo the call for gender balance and inclusion.

The media landscape is changing. More and more people are consuming their news on digital platforms, and the production of content is shifting from traditional news outlets to independent producers and bloggers. As a result, the way we tell stories about women within the Nigerian media landscape needs to change.

We want to see more stories about women being told from their own perspectives rather than through the lens of male characters who speak for them. We want creators who aren’t afraid to challenge their own preconceptions about what makes a good story; who aren’t afraid to explore more nuanced female topics and who aren’t afraid of going against convention and also creating a more balanced narrative when exploring the male and female relationships.

The traditional way of telling stories about women was often focused on their flaws and failures–the kind of stories that make us feel bad about ourselves or worse about our own lives. But now there are so many more positive stories out there! There are women who have overcome adversity, or who have made incredible sacrifices in order to achieve something great.

We’re not talking about just any woman, either. We mean the kind of women who make a difference in our world–the ones who are making waves and changing things for the better. The ones who are breaking stereotypes and making waves in their own ways.

In order to accomplish this, we need to change the way we think about telling stories about women. We need to look at them as leaders, not just as victims or heroines.

We know that there are plenty of stories out there about women who have been victimized by men and society at large–stories that focus on their victimization instead of their strength and resilience. But it’s time for us all to stop focusing on those stories and start looking at how these women have changed our world for the better through their actions!

Digital innovation should change the way we tell stories about women, and in return change the way we see ourselves.

We’ve always been told that women are strong and capable, but there’s something special about being able to see yourself in a piece of media and feel like it’s true–that it reflects your own values and experiences. I believe digital innovation should propel cultural shift that reflects in how we tell stories about women within the Nigerian media landscape

The world of technology is changing our lives in ways that are unimaginable. It has given us the opportunity to project our stories as females within our community and also at a global scale

The media landscape is undergoing a period of change. With the advent of digital media, it has become easier than ever for people to share their ideas, thoughts and feelings with others through social media platforms.

This means that there is a greater opportunity for African women to be represented in the media landscape than ever before. The current state of affairs in the media landscape has left many issues unresolved and others unaddressed. Some of these issues include: poor representation of women within the media space in driving female inclusion in politics, lack of diversity in content creation, lack of independent production companies tailored to telling more positive stories of women within the media landscape.

What then can we do to make sure that we have better representation of women within the media landscape?

1. Women must be visible in all areas of production, including content creation and reporting on issues affecting women. As well as more female reporters covering stories related to gender equality issues,
2. There should be more training for journalists so they can better understand how men and women are affected by these issues differently and how they can report on them accordingly.
3. There needs to be more diversity in the media landscape so that people who are not represented in the media can feel like they can also tell their stories through their own lens without feeling excluded or left out because they do not fit into a certain category or stereotype.”

4 Encourage female journalists to pursue stories that are typically told from a male perspective, and helping them reach out to other female journalists for help.

5 Adopt a more inclusive approach to reporting, including using more diverse sources and perspectives.

6 Create opportunities for women to foster their own voices through mentorship programs and workshops.

As we continue to project our values as Nigerian women, I hope to see a positive change in how we tell the story of an average Nigerian woman in the media space. We must begin to change the narrative of what it means to be a Nigerian woman, stop projecting our limited experiences of a few women as a representation of ALL women in Nigeria.

Happy International Women’s Day!

About Tofunmi

Tofunmi Akinseye serves as the CEO and Publisher of Savvy Media Africa. She has copywriting and communications experience from her years in the digital marketing department at MTN Nigeria. With her PR company only established about a year ago, Tofunmi has already started working with notable brands, including Filmhouse Cinemas where she led a successful campaign of the West African Premiere of Black Panther Panther. Since graduating from the University of Ibadan, Tofunmi has worked towards creating opportunities for young people to succeed in life. She has and continues to do this through the Savvy Media Edtech Initiative, which has trained over 500 youths, equipping them with skills needed to thrive in the digital age, and partnering with Google, Facebook, StartWebAfrica, amongst others. Her magazine has been graced by notable personalities such as Kunle Afolayan, Niniola, Seyi Shay, Yemi Alade, Patoranking, Annie Idibia, Mike Edwards,Maria Chike Benjamin, Broda Shaggi, Ms Dsf and more. Tofunmi’s unwavering belief is that every individual has potential that will manifest if well invested in.