Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Delivering Nigeria’s national statement at the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) in New York, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, said the country remains firmly aligned with global efforts to strengthen equality, justice and inclusive development.
“Nigeria is honoured to join the international community at this important moment to reaffirm our collective commitment to advancing gender equality and women empowerment as a cornerstone for inclusive action, equitable justice, safeguard of rights, and sustainable development.”
The Minister highlighted the declaration of 2026 as Nigeria’s Year of Families and Social Development under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“This historic declaration reflects our firm belief that strengthening families is fundamental to empowering women, protecting children, and fostering cohesive communities.”
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Sulaiman-Ibrahim told delegates at the session, moderated by the Chair of the Commission, Maritza Chan Valverde, that Nigeria has significantly expanded its social protection architecture, with women forming the majority of beneficiaries.
She said the government is accelerating implementation of the Renewed Hope Social Impact Interventions 774 (RHSI774) programme, designed to scale up women’s economic empowerment across livelihoods, finance, clean energy, digital inclusion and social protection.
“These interventions represent the largest locally driven investment for women’s empowerment in Nigeria’s history.”
The Minister also highlighted Nigeria’s digital innovation for women’s empowerment through the Happy Woman mobile platform.
“Through our women digital harmony initiative, we are leveraging technology and innovation, with one of the components being the Happy Woman App; a mobile platform that serves as a one-stop shop that aggregates intervention and support for women.”
She added: “This initiative will enable access that connects over 20 million women to information, mentorship, and economic opportunities, while strengthening networks of support and inclusion.”
The Minister said Nigeria is promoting inclusive social transformation through policy initiatives supporting young boys and encouraging positive masculinity.
“We are also promoting positive masculinity as a strategy for advancing gender equality and women empowerment for inclusive sustainable transformation. The National Boy Child Policy developed alongside complementary frameworks is currently under validation, and we welcome deeper collaboration with global partners in this area.”
She highlighted progress in the care economy, stronger legal frameworks, increased gender budgeting, and women appointments. Even though women’s parliamentary representation remains “below 10%,” she added that the “Reserved Special Seats Bill” seeks to expand participation.
The Minister reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness to deepen collaboration with global partners to expand opportunities for women and girls.
“Nigeria remains committed to working with the international community to accelerate progress on gender equality and women empowerment.”
The ongoing CSW70 meeting, under the priority theme “Ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices, and addressing structural barriers,” convenes global leaders, policymakers and civil society groups to review progress on women’s rights and gender equality worldwide.