Glory Ohagwu, Abuja
Gambian international development expert Oley Dibba-Wadda has called on African governments to adopt inclusive leadership models and leverage technology to strengthen the voices of women, youth, and marginalised groups.
Delivering the keynote address at the 2025 Gender Inclusion Summit (GS-25) in Abuja, Nigeria’s Capital, themed “New Voices and New Approaches for Accelerating an Inclusive Society”, Dibba-Wadda urged women and communities to reclaim their narratives, tell their own stories, and use digital tools to drive inclusive change.
Oley Dibba-Wadda, founder of the Gam Africa Institute for Leadership (GAIL) and member of the Board of Women Political Leaders (WPL) in Belgium, described the summit as a testament to the transformative power of inclusive leadership.
“This Summit stands as a testament to the remarkable potential and power of inclusion, and underscores the urgent need to amplify diverse perspectives and project them into leadership,” she said.
She noted that while progress has been made, inequalities remain entrenched, stressing the need to move beyond traditional advocacy strategies.
“We have come a long way, but still must cover the mileage that is left. The traditional methods and strategies of advocacy that served us well in the past may still be relevant, but are no longer adequate in tackling the complex, multifaceted inequalities that we struggle with today,” she said.
Drawing from her personal journey as an author, Dibba-Wadda emphasised the importance of women owning and narrating their stories without shame, recounting how publishing her memoir in 2017 sparked healing, solidarity, and empowerment for many readers.
“For so long we’ve been nudged by society to carry a victim mentality and hide our flaws and vulnerabilities in shame. We whisper our challenges behind closed doors,
“We must learn to release ourselves from the shackles of the past and take our power back by speaking out, owning our narrative, and taking full responsibility and accountability for our actions.”
She urged women to shed the label of victimhood.
The keynote speaker also highlighted the rise of digital technologies as powerful enablers of inclusive storytelling and activism.
“Today, we live in an era of technological revolution, With an iPhone or Android phone, we influence change to fight the good fight, even from the comfort of our living rooms.”
She pointed to platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, WhatsApp, and artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, as embodying opportunities for women and youth to shape narratives and hold leaders accountable.
Recalling the fall of the dictatorship in her home country, The Gambia, she said:“Back home in The Gambia, in 2016, four powerful factors contributed to the collapse of the dictatorship that the country was under for 22 years : youth, women, social -media, and the diaspora.”
Dibba-Wadda also called for stronger dialogue across generations, so younger Africans can learn from the wisdom of elders while adapting traditions to modern realities.
She said:“The challenge for us as the ‘bridge generation’ standing between my mother’s generation and my daughter’s generation is to help each group understand the benefits of the narratives of their generations and learn from each other to preserve the traditions of yesteryears, while innovating and adapting our stances to better protect the cultures of tomorrow.”
“Inclusion matters, and no one individual should be an island. May we all, individually and collectively, step forward to embrace with confidence, that first or next courageous and daring step to use our voices for the good of humanity,” she urged.
The summit continues in Abuja with panel discussions, policy dialogues, and experience-sharing sessions focused on accelerating gender and social inclusion across Africa.