At the second edition of the Nigerian Women Day marked at the 70TH session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70), Minister for Women Affairs, Hajia Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim has said that transforming women’s lives at scale requires sustained investment, strong partnerships, and coordinated action.
Organised by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under the leadership of Sulaiman-Ibrahim, the event brought together global leaders, ministers, diplomats, civil society leaders, gender advocates, entrepreneurs, artists, and members of the Nigerian diaspora for a full day of dialogue, culture, and high-level action.
The event, themed “31 Years of Progress, Resilience, Impact and Renewed Hope,” marked Nigeria’s commitment to advancing gender equality on the world stage, asserting the leadership role of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mandate on women’s rights, family resilience, and inclusive development.
Drawing on Nigeria’s nine-pillar Renewed Hope Social Impact Interventions 774 (RH-SII-774) framework, the Sulaiman-Ibrahim outlined the Ministry’s ambition to reach women across all 774 Local Government Areas of Nigeria through targeted interventions in energy access, agriculture, digital inclusion, health and protection, creativity and innovation, leadership, education, child development, and family resilience.
She set out a six-point call to action for governments, development partners, and civil society, demanding greater investment, stronger coordination, and an end to the era of declarations without delivery.
According to her, “Transforming women’s lives at scale requires sustained investment, strong partnerships, and coordinated action. There is an urgent need for greater investment in women and girls, both domestically and globally. Women’s empowerment is not a social programme; it is an economic strategy, a security strategy, and a development imperative.”
In her address, Chair of the Board of Directors of Women Radio WFM 91.7, Toun Okewale Sonaiya, stressed on the need to rebuild Nigeria’s image and future through collective action, particularly for women, children, families, and vulnerable groups.
She then outlined key intervention areas, including clean energy access through PowerHer774, agricultural enterprise under WAVE, child welfare support, digital literacy, women’s health, entrepreneurship through the Women Economic Village, women’s political participation via SheRuns, safe spaces for survivors of violence, and family-centred support systems. Across these programmes, adding that sustainable transformation will require funding, skills, expertise, youth participation, diaspora engagement, and strong accountability structures.
She also endorsed the administration’s women-focused agenda as intentional and deserving of support, while urging stronger collaboration with young people and Nigerians abroad to accelerate delivery.
A fireside conversation between the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, and the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina J. Mohamed, which wove together Nigeria’s national ambitions with the global gender equality agenda. Participants engaged both leaders on the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing women and girls across Africa and the world.
Three panel sessions were held: Global Leadership, Peace & Security for Social Impact; Women, Institutions & The Economy; and Positive Masculinity. The conversations centred around women leading at the intersection of governance, peace, and global institutions, charting pathways for women’s economic leadership, and transformative dialogues exploring how men can move beyond words to become active architects of gender justice.
Speakers include, Minister of State, Labour and Productivity, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha; the National Population Commission Chairman, Dr Aminu Yusuf; the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources, Dr Emanso Emabong; AIG Aisha Abubakar Baju, PhD; Presidents of Officers’ Wives Associations; senior female officers from paramilitary establishments; Her Regal Majesty Olori Temitope Ogunwusi; and Andrew Mamedu, Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria.
Others included Dame Pauline K. Tallen, Abosede George-Ogan of WILAN, Enene Ejembi, Executive Director of Verbatim Virtual Solutions, Kafeel Olabiyi-Shittu of the Bank of Industry; Dr Anino Emuwa of 100 Women@Davos, Mary Jandora Sinjen, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Child Development, Taraba State, Amb. Bolaji Akinremi, Dr Tony Ojukwu, Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria, and Nigerians in the diaspora.
