Global Affairs Canada, in partnership with ActionAid Nigeria, has launched a new initiative, the Renewed Women’s Voice and Leadership (RWVL) project, with a commitment of CAD 15 million (about N11 billion) to strengthen women’s rights and leadership roles in Nigeria.

The five-year programme (2025–2030), to be implemented in Benue, Kwara, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Kebbi, Bauchi, Cross River and the FCT, will support at least 188 local women’s rights organisations working with ultra-marginalised groups, including women and girls with disabilities, those living with HIV, sex workers, young feminists, domestic workers, internally displaced women, refugees, adolescent girls, elderly women, and women in politics.

Speaking at the launch in Abuja yesterday, the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Pasquale Salvaggio, said the project aims to strengthen frontline organisations, expand access to quality services, build coalitions for reform from state assemblies to national ministries, and ensure accountability for real, measurable results.

Salvaggio explained that the initiative builds on the success of the previous Women’s Voice and Leadership Project (2019–2024), which reached more than 752,000 women and girls directly, over 6.2 million people indirectly, and strengthened 182 women’s rights organisations across 24 states and the FCT.

“By investing in the leadership and economic agency of women and girls, communities and markets thrive. This project will not only reduce poverty but also advance gender equality by providing core funding so organisations can set their own agendas, respond to local needs, and drive sustained change,” Salvaggio said.

He added that Canada remains one of the top global donors supporting women’s empowerment, with 95 per cent of its bilateral development assistance directly targeting or integrating gender equality.

ActionAid Country Director, Andrew Mamedu, described the RWVL as a defining moment for advancing the rights of women and girls in Nigeria.

He noted that the initiative is part of a 20-country global programme funded by Global Affairs Canada, supporting thousands of women’s rights movements worldwide.

“Through the first phase, we deepened feminist organising, advanced women’s participation in governance and economic empowerment, and impacted millions of lives. With RWVL, we aim to reach about 2 million women in Nigeria over the next five years,” he said.

Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imam-Suleiman Ibrahim, praised the initiative as critical to achieving Nigeria’s Renewed Hope Agenda, urging stakeholders to work together to remove barriers to inclusive development and ensure women are at the forefront of governance, entrepreneurship, and community transformation.