The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, says policy reforms, the promotion of equitable, inclusive leadership, and gender budgeting are essential for achieving Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE).
According to her, this enables women to have equal opportunities to succeed and contribute to Nigeria’s sustainable development.
This was among the key submissions at a two-day Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Coordination Mechanism and Institutional Strengthening Meeting, organised by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs in partnership with UN Women, held in Abuja, Nigeria.
Declaring the meeting open, the Minister urged all State Commissioners and Permanent Secretaries to proactively foster inter-ministerial and inter-agency partnerships in all states. She emphasised that Women’s Affairs must no longer be treated as peripheral but rather as central to policy development, planning, and national growth.
She stated, “Our goal here today is clear: to build a unified and results-driven national GEWE architecture. This requires strengthened collaboration between the Federal and State Ministries of Women Affairs, as well as effective integration with broader government systems. Our ministries are not symbolic entities; they are catalysts for economic growth, national stability, and social justice.”
The Minister commended the sterling leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu under the Renewed Hope Agenda, which has placed women’s empowerment at the heart of national priorities. She also praised the inspiring leadership of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, through the Renewed Hope Initiative.
In addition, she acknowledged the contributions of the National Assembly, State Governors, First Ladies, and State Houses of Assembly for championing inclusive governance and expanding support for Women Affairs Ministries across the country.
Looking to the future, the Minister projected that the outcomes of the coordination mechanism would evolve into a coalition for action—resolute, responsive, and results-oriented. To this end, she announced the institutionalisation of a National Reward and Recognition Framework, aimed at honouring individuals and institutions championing gender inclusion and the advancement of women.
Also speaking at the event, Beatrice Eyong, the UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, applauded the progress made in the past two years. However, she noted that recent global funding cuts to development initiatives have posed new challenges.
“The GEWE programme has been severely impacted, making it even more crucial for partners to collaborate harmoniously—leveraging existing platforms, technical expertise, and domestic funding—to ensure past gains are sustained and to continue interventions for women and girls,” she said.
She commended the Minister of Women Affairs for her unwavering commitment to GEWE and reaffirmed UN Women’s continued support in promoting coherence, collaboration, and sustainability in the collective struggle for gender equality.
“To attain GEWE, I call on relevant government institutions, the private sector, and philanthropic organisations to invest in women, girls, men, and boys by supporting coordination activities. These have the potential to significantly scale up GEWE outcomes. To those of us on the frontlines demanding accountability, let us not relent, but keep hope alive for better GEWE days ahead,” she added.
The opening ceremony also featured the distribution of ICT equipment to all State Ministries of Women Affairs. Procured by UN Women, the equipment is intended to bolster institutional capacity for data-driven programming, monitoring and evaluation, coordination, and digital reporting.
The meeting was attended by State Commissioners of Women Affairs, Permanent Secretaries, Directors, Civil Society Organisations, Faith-Based Organisations, and Gender Interest Networks from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Commissioned in 2023 by the Ministry of Women Affairs and UN Women, the GEWE Coordination Mechanism aims to evaluate performance indicators, review relevant research outcomes and advocacy toolkits for use at state and zonal levels. The initiative is designed to ensure cohesion, capacity building, and coordinated planning of GEWE efforts across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, thereby accelerating transformative outcomes at both state and national levels.