By Ameh Gabriel
Abuja, Nigeria – June 25, 2025:Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has called for coordinated, transformative action to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment across the country. Speaking at a high-level gathering on Tuesday at the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development in Abuja, the Minister emphasized the need for stronger institutional coordination and strategic partnerships to drive meaningful progress for women and vulnerable groups.
The event, which brought together State Commissioners for Women Affairs, Permanent Secretaries, UN Women representatives, and key stakeholders, focused on building a cohesive National Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE) architecture. The initiative aims to enhance accountability, foster inter-ministerial collaboration, and mainstream women’s empowerment across all levels of governance.
“Our ministries are not symbolic entities — they are engines of economic growth, national stability, and social justice,” Sulaiman-Ibrahim stated. “We must be seen and act as central players in policy, planning, and national development.”
Highlighting troubling statistics, she noted that although women and girls make up over 49% of Nigeria’s population:
Only 17% of women aged 15–49 have completed secondary education.
Maternal mortality remains high at 512 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Nearly 50% of children under five face malnutrition.
Over 98,000 women die annually from indoor air pollution due to unsafe cooking methods.
Women hold fewer than 20% of leadership roles in the creative sector.
“These are not just statistics they are urgent calls to action,” she warned.
The Minister also announced the distribution of ICT equipment to all State Ministries of Women Affairs, supported by UN Women under the leadership of Beatrice Eyong. She stressed that the tools must be used strategically for data-driven programming, monitoring and evaluation, and digital reporting.
As Nigeria marks 30 years since the establishment of the Federal and State Ministries of Women Affairs, Sulaiman-Ibrahim urged states to:
Domesticate and implement the National Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy, especially at the local government level.
Integrate lessons from Nigeria’s participation at the 69th UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) into national planning cycles.
Promote women’s access to trade through the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) by linking women-led cooperatives and agribusinesses to continental markets via the upcoming WAVE Renewed Hope Social Impact Programme.
She also raised concerns about women’s political representation, citing that only:
4 of 109 Senators
16 of 360 House of Representatives members
57 of 991 State Assembly members are women.
She advocated for urgent passage of the Special Seats for Women Bill and announced a National Dialogue on Women’s Political Representation scheduled for July 9, 2025, during the House of Representatives Open Week.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim commended states that have joined the CEDAW Cities Initiative launched at CSW69 — including Edo, FCT, Kebbi, Imo, Lagos, Nasarawa, and Zamfara — describing it as a bold commitment to measurable and inclusive action at the local level.
She also disclosed that the next National Council on Women Affairs will be hosted in Edo State, with a broadened focus on Children and Family Cohesion, aligning with Nigeria’s expanding social protection agenda.
In closing, the Minister unveiled plans for a National Reward and Recognition Framework to celebrate champions of gender inclusion, and paid tribute to President Bola Tinubu and First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu for their unwavering support under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Let us convert this coordination mechanism into a coalition for action — resolute, responsive, and results-oriented,” she charged.
