Nigerian women have been urged to move beyond having a voice to using it to create value, influence decisions and drive meaningful change.
Stakeholders made the submissions at the 10th Voice of Women Conference and Awards (VOW2026), organised by the Voice of Women Empowerment Foundation (VOWEF), in collaboration with Women Radio WFM 91.7, in Lagos, to commemorate a decade of advocacy under the theme, “A Decade of Voices and Impact.”
Delivering the keynote address, businesswoman and philanthropist, Mrs Folorunso Alakija, said the next decade must transform women’s voices into tangible outcomes.
She urged women to ensure that their “voices count, their competence delivers results, their visibility has purpose and their influence drives action.”
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Founder of Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries, Dr Stella Okoli, challenged women to convert ideas into economic value through entrepreneurship, innovation and enterprise.
She urged women to “start from where you are and build steadily,” stressing that women could contribute significantly to Nigeria’s development by creating businesses, industries and solutions.
The Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, said despite progress in education, enterprise and public service, gaps remained in economic opportunities, healthcare, leadership and governance.
She urged women to support and mentor one another, declaring: “Lift as you rise.”
Former First Lady of Ekiti State and Co-founder of Amandla Institute for Policy and Leadership Advancement, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, challenged social expectations that saddle working women with disproportionate domestic responsibilities, advocating shared responsibility and mutual respect.
She called for personal commitment to social change, stronger legal and policy frameworks, adequate resources and political will.
Interrogating the “One-Hour Woman” anecdote, Fayemi rejected stereotypes that reduce women’s aspirations to domestic chores, urging society to raise daughters who “dream, aspire and achieve” and sons who become “partners, providers and protectors.”
The conference also moved from advocacy to economic intervention, with ASHA Microfinance Bank awarding N250,000 each to 10 women entrepreneurs and pledging further support to upscale their businesses.
Presentation of Awards
Awards were presented to notable individuals and institutions for advancing women’s empowerment and health, including Dr Stella Okoli; Bank of Industry Managing Director, Dr Olasupo Olusi; Hon. Kafilat Ogbara; and Lagos State Internal Revenue Service Executive Chairman, Mr Ayodele Subair, among others.
VOWEF Executive Director and Chair, Board of Directors of Women Radio WFM 91.7, Toun Sonaiya, said the anniversary represented a call to deepen impact.
“Women need more than a platform. They need opportunity, access, resources and representation. Women must have the power to turn their voices into influence and their ideas into impact,” she said.
Sonaiya highlighted the story of Oluwatobi Raji, a survivor who now provides education for 150 disadvantaged and out-of-school children in Iyana-Ilogbo, Ogun State, appealing for support to secure a permanent home for the school.
She said the next decade must ensure that more voices become influence, more conversations become action and more opportunities become changed lives.
