Stakeholders at the fifth Gender and Inclusion Summit (GS26) have called for greater efforts to close the gap between policy commitments and the realities experienced by Nigerians, particularly women, young people and underserved communities.

The call was made at the two-day summit organised by the Policy Innovation Centre (PIC) in Abuja on September 8 and 9, under the theme, “From Agenda to Action: Making Innovations Count for the Last Mile.”

The summit brought together senior government officials, policymakers, development partners, private-sector leaders and other stakeholders to examine how policies and innovations can translate into measurable improvements in people’s lives.

Delivering the keynote address, President of the National Assembly of Côte d’Ivoire and former Prime Minister, Patrick Achi, said inclusion should be treated as a fundamental component of development rather than an additional consideration.

“Inclusion is not a social supplement to development. Inclusion is development,” Achi said.

He described the “last mile” as the point at which development translates from policy and programmes into tangible outcomes for citizens.

“The last mile is not where development ends. It is where development becomes real,” he said.

According to Achi, meaningful inclusion should enable women entrepreneurs to access capital, farmers to participate in modern value chains, young people to access opportunities and citizens to engage effectively with the state.

Executive Director of the Policy Innovation Centre, Dr Osasuyi Dirisu, challenged stakeholders to consider whether innovative solutions were actually reaching the communities they were intended to serve.

“Do our solutions travel as far as the infrastructure goes, or do they stop?” Dirisu asked.

She identified policy, partnerships, infrastructure, financing, coordination, ownership and adaptation as critical factors in converting commitments into results, particularly at the local government, ward and community levels.

The summit was also attended by the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, alongside other senior government officials and representatives of development and private-sector organisations.

The Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) similarly urged participants to examine whether commitments made over the years were reaching those most in need.

“The question this fifth edition of the summit places before us is a harder one: are these commitments reaching the people who need them the most?” he asked.

Discussions at GS26 extended beyond policy commitments to the evidence, tools and institutional structures required to improve implementation.

The summit featured the pre-launch of the Gender Legislative Agenda for Africa, as well as the launch of the Nigerian Youth Dream Charter and the SWOLE, Strengthening Women’s Leadership in Academic Economics, Policy Transformation Toolkit.

Findings from the Nigerian Survey on Gender Norms, Attitudes, Health and Wellbeing were also unveiled as part of discussions on the factors shaping the lives of adolescents in Nigeria.

According to PIC, the survey provides nationally representative data on the social and gender norms influencing adolescent health and wellbeing in the country.

Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, who chaired the National Dialogue on Transforming Gender Norms for Adolescent Health and Wellbeing, urged stakeholders to use the findings to support efforts towards a more equitable and inclusive health system.

“Let this dialogue be more than a conversation. Let it be a catalyst for change,” Salako said.

The summit also examined how governments, businesses, civil society organisations and development institutions can strengthen collaboration to ensure that innovations designed to address inequality are implemented beyond national and state-level policy discussions.

Chairman of the PIC Board, Udeme Ufot, said the challenge was to ensure that ideas and commitments ultimately translated into changes that people could experience in their everyday lives.

“Our task is not only to develop good ideas and make commitments, but to ensure that they are implemented, scaled and experienced in people’s everyday lives,” Ufot said.

He added that outcomes from GS26 would be documented through the Purple Book, which is intended to support continued policy engagement, advocacy and accountability after the summit.

PIC said it would continue engaging stakeholders on the recommendations and commitments emerging from the gathering through policy engagement and advocacy.

The summit concluded with a call for governments, development organisations, businesses and other stakeholders to move beyond agenda-setting and ensure that policies, investments and innovations produce tangible improvements for communities, particularly those historically underserved by development interventions.