A high-level parliamentary dialogue in London has renewed calls for increased women’s political participation, bringing together global parliamentarians and policymakers to advance inclusive leadership and empowerment.
The meeting, held at the Houses of Parliament, Westminster, spotlighted the “She Rises” and “She Runs” pillars as critical pathways for promoting women’s inclusion in governance.
Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, engaged UK parliamentarians led by Kate Osamor, outlining a framework to strengthen women’s leadership capacity from grassroots to national levels.
Highlighting “She Rises,” the Minister stressed early and intergenerational exposure to politics saying “Not just women like me, but even intergenerational, so that we’re catching them young… I wish I got exposed to politics while I was in the university.”
She said, “We’re looking to kind of see how young, old, everybody gets the right kind of support… That’s what the She Rise Pillar is all about.”
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On “She Runs,” Sulaiman-Ibrahim underscored participation and mentorship: “Through the She Runs, we can do a lot of capacity building… what women need is a handful, and they need to see a lot of positive role models.”
She emphasised grassroots engagement, saying, “We have to prepare women to begin to engage at that level, local politics, party politics.”
Addressing gender-based violence (GBV), the Minister acknowledged gaps and progress: “Nigeria… has a lot of support… but it’s fragmented”.
Urging coordination among partners, including UNICEF, UNFPA, and ActionAid. “There’s so much a partner can do without the leadership of government… we have to come together,” she said.
The Minister linked empowerment to economic strength saying “When a woman has money… she can dream bigger,” while advocating resilience systems: “We must invest in safe spaces… so that when life happens, you don’t disappear.”
On reforms, she stated, “The VAPP Act… is undergoing review… we need a dedicated national protection agency,” adding that the Child Rights Act is also being updated.
UK parliamentarian Karen Bradley noted challenges and said “What I introduced… desperately needs updating… if you stand still, you go backward.”
while Christine Jardine warned, “Online abuse of women… is escalating.”
Nigeria parliamentarian Kafilat Ogbara called for measurable outcomes.
In closing, Osamor said “How do we make sure it reflects what is really happening…? It’s very important that we work together.
“If we don’t get the local level right… we will not have the springboard.”
The dialogue reinforced “She Rises” and “She Runs” as central pillars for inclusive governance, anchored on mentorship, grassroots participation, and sustained international collaboration.