Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has called for far-reaching structural reforms to accelerate women’s political participation across West Africa, unveiling a five-point roadmap aimed at removing barriers to leadership.
The minister made the call while addressing the High-Level Women’s Political Leadership Forum convened by ECOWAS, the Nigerian Government, the African Union, the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) and UNDP in Abuja.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim said women’s political leadership is no longer only an issue of equity but one of national development and democratic effectiveness.
“Women’s political leadership is no longer a matter of fairness to women. For me, it is a matter of competence for nations. This is because a democracy that governs with half its talent is not simply unjust. It is underperforming,” she said.
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She noted that although women make up more than half of West Africa’s population, they hold fewer than 20 per cent of parliamentary seats, stressing that the challenge is institutional rather than a lack of capable women.
“Africa does not suffer from a shortage of capable women. It suffers from structures that were never built to let them through,” she stated.
Highlighting Nigeria’s experience, the minister said women lead 11 of the country’s 24 commercial banks, occupy about one-third of superior court positions and hold more than 30 per cent of senior roles in the Federal Civil Service, yet account for less than five per cent of elected offices.
“Where competence is the measure, she rises. Where the cost of entry and structural barriers stand in the way, too many are held back. Our challenge is not the candidate. It is the pathway,” Sulaiman-Ibrahim explained.
To address the gap, she presented a five-point roadmap for advancing women’s political leadership across the ECOWAS region.
She proposed the establishment of a “Women’s Political Leadership Trust Fund” to ease financial barriers by supporting nomination fees, campaign financing and leadership development for credible female candidates.
The minister also called for transforming the existing 35 per cent affirmative action benchmark into an enforceable commitment through political party compliance and electoral regulations, drawing lessons from Rwanda and Senegal, where legally backed reforms have increased women’s parliamentary representation.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim further advocated the creation of an “ECOWAS Women’s Leadership Compact” to strengthen collaboration between women in elective and appointive positions and civil society organisations, ensuring advocacy translates into legislative and policy outcomes.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim urged women across the region to support qualified female candidates during elections, describing solidarity at the ballot box as a strategic tool for expanding representation.
To build a pipeline of future leaders, she proposed a “Regional Women’s Leadership Academy” to identify, mentor and prepare women from ward and local government levels for elective offices.
The minister said Nigeria is already taking steps through the review of the National Gender Policy, implementation of the Third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security across 16 states, and expansion of the Nigeria for Women Programme, which targets more than five million beneficiaries to strengthen economic empowerment.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim also highlighted the “Power of 10 Million” movement, through which women across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas and 8,809 wards have mobilised and presented a Nigeria Women’s Charter for National Development.
She urged governments and development partners to move beyond dialogue and institutionalise reforms that will deliver measurable progress.
“History is not made by those who gather to discuss change. It is made by those who summon the courage to institutionalise it,” she said.
