Women leaders, policymakers and development partners have called for deliberate investments in women’s leadership, political participation and economic empowerment, insisting that Africa’s transformation cannot be achieved by excluding half of its leadership capacity.

The call was made on Tuesday in Abuja at the Women Leaders Networking Meeting themed, “Women Leading Africa’s Next Chapter,” convened by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Nigeria and co-hosted by the Ministries of Women Affairs and Foreign Affairs in honour of Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Africa, UNDP.

The gathering brought together women leaders from government, diplomacy, business, academia, civil society and development institutions to strengthen collaboration and advance collective action towards inclusive development across the continent.

Speaking at the event, Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa maintained that Africa’s future would depend largely on its ability to create systems that enable women to lead transformation at scale rather than merely participate in development processes.

“The question before us is no longer whether women should participate in Africa’s development—they already do. The more important question is whether Africa is creating the conditions that allow women to lead transformation at the scale our future demands, because the future we seek cannot be built by drawing on only half of our leadership capacity,” she said.

According to her, inclusive leadership remains a strategic investment in stronger institutions, better governance and sustainable development, particularly as countries across the continent seek to deepen democratic processes and economic growth.

She noted that while representation matters, the greater challenge lies in ensuring women influence policies, mobilise investments, drive innovation, build enterprises and shape institutions capable of transforming societies.

“This is not only a gender conversation; it is a development conversation, because countries that fail to unlock the full potential of all their people inevitably limit the pace of their own transformation,” Eziakonwa added.

The UNDP Regional Director urged Nigeria to sustain ongoing conversations around women’s political representation, describing them as critical to expanding opportunities for talented women to contribute meaningfully to national development.

She further highlighted initiatives such as the African Facility for Women in Political Leadership and the Africa Academy for Women in Political Leadership, noting that over 1,300 women from 41 African countries, including Nigeria, had applied for the inaugural programme.

“Africa does not lack women ready to lead. What we must do is continue investing in the institutions, networks and opportunities that allow them to do so,” she stated.

On economic inclusion, Eziakonwa emphasised the importance of leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and innovation platforms to strengthen women-led enterprises and unlock new opportunities for inclusive growth.

She argued that Africa’s next phase of development would require interconnected systems where leadership, innovation, investment and partnerships reinforce one another.

“The true measure of progress will not be how many remarkable women we can name, but whether remarkable women become entirely unremarkable because leadership has become genuinely inclusive,” she said.

Earlier, the Resident Representative of UNDP Nigeria, Ms. Elsie Attafuah, described the gathering as more than a social event, saying it was conceived as a strategic platform for dialogue, mentorship and collective leadership.

According to her, Nigeria’s development aspirations require the best ideas, experience and leadership that women across sectors can provide.

“Africa’s transformation will depend on the quality, diversity and inclusiveness of the leadership we build today,” Attafuah said.

She noted that the event built on ongoing discussions around trade, innovation, investment and partnerships during Eziakonwa’s mission to Nigeria, while placing women’s leadership at the centre of those conversations.

Attafuah further challenged participants to transform the networking platform into an enduring movement capable of mentoring future leaders and shaping national development conversations.

“How do we strengthen the relationships that already exist, build new partnerships across sectors, mentor the next generation of women leaders and create a platform through which the collective wisdom, influence and experience gathered here can continue shaping Nigeria’s development long after this evening has ended?” she queried.

Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, said the country had made notable progress in advancing women’s causes but warned that significant gaps remained in women’s representation across governance, diplomacy, industry and innovation.

She described women as Nigeria’s greatest assets in the pursuit of sustainable development, social cohesion and global competitiveness.

“Women remain underrepresented in the corridors of power. Within our public institutions, diplomacy, industry and the portfolio of innovation, however, each one of us, in her own way, has broken the mould,” she said.

The minister stressed the need to build stronger networks among women across government, civil society and the private sector to drive governance excellence, economic diversification and peacebuilding.

According to her, initiatives such as the Nigeria for Women Project and the SCALE-UP Programme have demonstrated the power of collective action, with investments in women empowerment already exceeding 540 million dollars and discussions underway to scale funding beyond two billion dollars.

She also linked national development challenges to the strength of families and communities, arguing that stronger family systems would address insecurity, out-of-school children and malnutrition.

“Nobody dropped from the trees. Imagine if Nigerian families were strong. There would be no bandits, there would be no out-of-school children and there would be no children suffering from malnutrition,” she said.

The First Lady of Kwara State, Ambassador Prof. Olufolake AbdulRazaq, reaffirmed the commitment of governors’ spouses to advancing women, youth and children through social investments, health interventions, education and economic empowerment programmes.

She noted that empowering vulnerable groups remained central to poverty eradication efforts across states and called for deeper partnerships with development agencies, particularly UNDP, to improve outcomes for rural and underserved communities.

Similarly, the First Lady of Imo State and Chairperson of the Progressive Governors’ Spouses Forum, Mrs. Chioma Uzodimma, described Eziakonwa as an inspiration to young Nigerian women and a symbol of the limitless possibilities available to women who lead with excellence and integrity.

She commended the organisers for celebrating women whose contributions continue to shape Africa’s development agenda, stressing that such recognition would inspire more women to aspire to transformational leadership positions.

The event concluded with a renewed commitment by stakeholders to deepen mentorship, strengthen partnerships and create enabling systems that ensure women’s leadership becomes a defining force in Africa’s next development chapter.