The Federal Government (FG), UN Women and development partners have identified traditional, religious and community leaders as critical drivers of efforts to prevent Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and transform harmful social norms across Nigeria and West Africa.

The position was reaffirmed on Monday at the close-out of the Leadership, Engagement, Advocacy and Prevention (LEAP) Project, a Ford Foundation-supported initiative implemented by UN Women from 2023 to 2026, which focused on mobilising male leaders as champions of GBV prevention and gender equality.

In her keynote address the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, said traditional and cultural leaders remain indispensable in mentoring boys and redefining masculinity in ways that reject violence and promote respect for women and girls.

Represented by the Director of Women Development, Mrs Blessing Anunike, the minister noted that many incidents of violence against women and girls remain hidden within families and communities, making the intervention of trusted male leaders essential to changing attitudes and breaking the cycle of abuse.

“This is precisely why your role as traditional and cultural leaders is completely indispensable as the primary mentors of positive masculinity,” the minister said.

“By actively redefining what it means to be a man, shifting the narrative from dominance to protection and from aggression to emotional intelligence, you provide a vital roadmap for young men to become champions of peace rather than perpetrators of harm”.

“Today, thousands of women and girls experience physical and sexual violence, while many cases remain buried in painful silence, often resolved at a devastating cost to the victims within the family unit,” she stated.

She urged traditional rulers to institutionalise women’s participation in community governance, arguing that societies where women’s voices are respected are more stable and resilient.

“My fundamental appeal to you is that you lead this change from the throne by actively involving women in your traditional councils and decision-making processes, as communities where women’s voices are genuinely heard and valued are inherently more stable, peaceful, and resilient,” she said.

The minister also linked the campaign against GBV to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which she said places women, children and vulnerable groups at the centre of national development.

“It is his unwavering political will and compassionate leadership that have continuously spotlighted the critical issues and concerns facing Nigerian women, children, families, and our most vulnerable populations,” she noted.

In her welcome remarks, UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Beatrice Eyong, represented by Acting Deputy Representative, Ms Patience Ekeoba, said engaging respected male leaders had moved the fight against GBV from policy discussions into communities and households.

“Traditional and religious leaders have become stronger advocates for the rights of women and girls. Men and boys have become more engaged as allies. Community accountability mechanisms have been strengthened, and women and girls are increasingly finding supportive voices among the very leaders who have shaped community values for generations,” she said.

She noted that the LEAP Project demonstrated that violence against women and girls is preventable when harmful social norms are challenged collectively.

“If harmful social norms sustain violence against women and girls, then transforming those norms is one of the most effective pathways to preventing violence,” she said.

Eyong added that the initiative had grown beyond Nigeria through the development of a Regional Accountability Framework for Traditional Leaders on GBV Prevention involving Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Niger and Ghana.

“This framework represents a shared regional commitment to strengthening accountability, promoting gender equality and positioning traditional leadership at the forefront of efforts to end violence against women and girls,” she stated.

She also commended traditional and religious leaders in The Gambia for resisting attempts to repeal the country’s anti-female genital mutilation law.

“Their collective advocacy sent a powerful message that culture and religion must never be used to justify harmful practices, but can instead become powerful instruments for protecting the dignity and rights of every girl,” she said.

A representative of the Gambian Network Against GBV said civil society groups, women’s organisations and religious leaders worked together to defend the anti-FGM law when repeal efforts emerged in 2024.

“We needed the support of other religious leaders who would counter what those supporting the repeal were saying, particularly the claim that FGM is allowed in Islam. We mobilised survivors, engaged communities and worked with government stakeholders, and together we were able to protect the law,” the representative said.

Programme Officer at the Ford Foundation, Dr Izeduwa Derex-Briggs, said one of the major lessons from the LEAP Project is that legislation alone cannot transform harmful norms.

“Social norms cannot be changed through legislation alone. Laws are necessary, policies are important, institutions are critical. However, social norms are sustained in homes, in communities, in places of worship, in traditional institutions and everyday interactions,” he said.

Derex-Briggs noted that by engaging male traditional and religious leaders as advocates for prevention, the project shifted conversations from awareness to accountability.

“The success of this project should be measured by whether girls grow up with greater opportunities, whether communities are safer for women and girls, and whether men and boys increasingly see themselves as partners in building a more equitable society,” he added.

Also speaking, the Pere of Kabowei Kingdom in Delta State, Mr Shedrack Peremobowei-Erebulu, said stronger collaboration among traditional institutions across Africa would deepen efforts to end GBV.

He commended the Council of Traditional Leaders of Africa (COTLA) for bringing royal fathers together to exchange ideas and best practices on preventing violence against women and girls.

“If what is obtainable in one region is working, and we can emulate such practices, I think we would achieve great heights in the fight against gender-based violence,” he said.

Participants at the event agreed that sustaining the gains recorded under the LEAP Project would require greater ownership by communities and continued leadership from traditional, cultural and religious institutions across West Africa.