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IMF makes progress on gender equality in workforce

Published

2 years ago

September 16, 2022

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says it has made significant progress in ensuring gender equality in its workforce through the EDGE Certification.

This is contained in a statement obtained from the IMF website on Thursday in Abuja.

According to the statement, the IMF is proud to announce it has progressed to the EDGE Move level, the second of three certification levels of EDGE Certification.

It said EDGE is the leading assessment and business certification for gender and intersectional equity in the workplace, worldwide.

“This certification recognises the IMF’s significant improvements in gender representation across all levels of its workforce and commitment and progress in monitoring, benchmarking, and achieving workplace gender equality.”

The statement said the IMF initially became EDGE certified at the EDGE Assess level in 2017 and secured recertification at the same level in 2019.

“Today, almost 40 per cent of the IMF’s senior leadership team are women.”

The statement said the IMF promotes the full participation of women in the workforce globally.

This empowers women and makes sound economic sense.

“The IMF believes it is equally important that women are fully represented in the institution’s own staffing.

“Since 2019, the share of women at the IMF’s top management has risen from 25 per cent to 37 per cent in 2022.

It said that at the Executive Board, the share of female Executive Directors had improved from eight per cent in 2019 to 17 per cent in 2022.

“The fund has made big progress in attracting and retaining top female talent and is committed to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion more broadly, beyond gender.”

The statement quoted IMF Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva saying,

“I am most pleased and proud of the progress the fund has made toward a more equitable workplace.

“This recognition of our internal commitment to gender equality comes on the heels of the Executive Board’s recent approval of the fund’s first gender strategy aimed at integrating gender in the IMF’s core activities.”

Georgieva said the EDGE Move certification could not have been timelier.

According to her, it reinforces the evidence and IMF’s belief that reducing gender disparities goes hand-in-hand with higher economic growth, greater economic stability and resilience, and lower income inequality.

“More work still lies ahead,” she said.

The statement quoted Aniela Unguresan, Founder of EDGE Certified Foundation, saying “the assessment and independent certification process affirms that IMF is making progress on its workplace gender equity journey.

“Having reached the second of three levels of EDGE Certification, it is showcasing progress toward a more gender equitable workplace.”

Unguresan said the EDGE Move certification, along with IMF’s new Gender Strategy, demonstrated a strong and relevant commitment to gender equity and diversity and inclusion as a driver of sustainable economic growth and opportunity.

“This is not, not only for the organisation itself but also for its 190 member countries,” she said.

The statement said EDGE Certification involves a rigorous third-party review of representation across the pipeline, pay equity, effectiveness of policies and practices, and inclusiveness of an organisation’s culture.

News

Nigeria’s money supply dropped to N92.3trn in March – CBN

Published

9 hours ago

May 17, 2024

NewsDirect

Nigeria’s money supply dropped marginally to N92.3 trillion in March 2024 from N93.9 trillion in February.

This is according to recent data from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Experts have linked the development to CBN’s hike in interest rates.

Demand deposits increased from N26.8 trillion to N28.8 trillion, suggesting a preference among depositors for more liquid forms of money.

Similarly, currency outside banks surged from N3.4 trillion to N3.6 trillion as more Nigerians moved towards cash following the end of the apex bank’s controversial new naira note policy.

The naira has continued to depreciate against the dollar despite the CBN’s policy intervention. On Thursday, it further dipped to N1533.99 per dollar.

News

Naira appreciates against dollar, ends week on good note

Published

9 hours ago

May 17, 2024

NewsDirect

The Naira appreciated against the dollar at the foreign exchange market barely 24 hours after depreciation.

FMDQ data showed that the N1497.33 appreciated against the dollar on Friday

This represents an N33.66 gain against the dollar compared to N1497.33 traded on Thursday.

Similarly, at the parallel market, the Naira appreciated to N1475 per dollar on Friday from N1555 on Thursday.

This showed that the Naira ended the week well after days of depreciation.

The country’s currency continued to experience instability since mid-April when it recorded months of appreciation.

Meanwhile, the Bureau De Change Operators had blamed forex scarcity for the continued depreciation of Naira.

News

Police dismiss inspector for N29.8m theft, kidnapping

Published

9 hours ago

May 17, 2024

NewsDirect

The Nigeria Police Force has dismissed one of its officers identified as Adabo Mohammed for criminal conspiracy and armed robbery, among others.

Mohammed, who was an Inspector, alongside five others was said to be a member of an armed robbery gang allegedly responsible for the stealing of N29.8 million from a victim in Gwagwalada, Federal Capital Territory.

This was disclosed by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement issued at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Friday.

The statement, titled, ‘Police speak tough on indiscipline, misconduct,’ noted that in a move to uphold professional standards within the Force, the Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, stressed the Force’s intolerance to any form of indiscipline.

The statement read partly, “In a decisive move to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and integrity within the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, has emphasised his administration’s zero-tolerance policy towards any form of indiscipline. He stressed that the mandate of the police is to serve and protect with honour and integrity, and as such all breaches of the core values of the NPF will be met with decisive action to maintain public trust and ensure justice.

“In line with this policy, all cases reported against personnel have been creditably attended to, and justice has been done appropriately. Many of the erring officers have been sanctioned, while some cases are still at the orderly room trial level, and will soon be concluded.

“For instance, a police inspector has been dismissed from service while three others were demoted to their previous ranks following thorough investigations which confirmed their involvement in various acts of indiscipline/crime.”

Adejobi added, “One Inspector Adabo Mohammed was dismissed for the offences of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery/kidnapping, and corrupt practice. The dismissed officer, along with five others were members of an armed robbery gang responsible for the robbery of the sum of N29.8 million from a victim in Gwagwalada, FCT as well as the kidnap of one Ikechukwu Emmanuel Okafor in Tunga Manje, and the collection of ransom sum of N4.4m. The ex-officer has been charged to court accordingly.

“Similarly, the trio of Inspectors Osagie Efford, Semiu Agbekin, and Francis Ahuen, attached to the Special Tactical Squad (STS), have been demoted to their previous rank of Sergeant for the extortion of some motorists in Abuja. The trio intercepted an unregistered Mercedes Benz at Gwarinpa, Abuja, and forced the occupants to part with the total sum of N29.4m.

“The matter when reported by one Harrison Gwamnishu (#HarrisonBBi18) via the social media platform ‘X’, was taken up and properly investigated. While the monies have been returned to the complainants, the officers were subjected to orderly room trial in line with extant laws, and have been demoted.”

The FPRO noted that some senior officers have “been subjected to the Force Disciplinary Committee hearings” to “scrutinise and address allegations of misconduct against higher-ranking officers of the Force.”

He assured the public that “these measures are taken with the utmost seriousness and are integral to restoring and maintaining their trust. He re-emphasised that the NPF is dedicated to fostering a culture of accountability and respect within all ranks to ensure that police officers serve with integrity.”