Women leaders call for action as Nigeria struggles on gender gap index

Women leaders call for action as Nigeria struggles on gender gap index Rosemary Etim Bassey Co-founder of the Amandla Institute for Policy and Leadership Advancement, Her Excellency Erelu Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, has said that Nigeria is unlikely to meet most Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, especially SDG 5 on gender equality. Speaking at the Beijing Plus […]

Women leaders call for action as Nigeria struggles on gender gap index
Rosemary Etim Bassey

Co-founder of the Amandla Institute for Policy and Leadership Advancement, Her Excellency Erelu Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, has said that Nigeria is unlikely to meet most Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, especially SDG 5 on gender equality.

Speaking at the Beijing Plus 30 Women Summit in Abuja, Adeleye-Fayemi mentioned Nigeria’s persistent challenges, including high maternal and infant mortality, child marriage, female genital mutilation, and the large number of out-of-school girls. She said the country ranks 124th out of 148 countries in the 2025 Global Gender Gap Index.

However, Adeleye-Fayemi noted progress in women’s rights awareness and legal protections. “There is now greater awareness of women’s rights, and legal frameworks are in place to protect women, including CEDAW, the African Women’s Protocol, VAPP Law, and the National Gender Policy,” she said. She also highlighted the African Women’s Leadership Institute and the African Women’s Development Fund, which have trained and supported thousands of women leaders across Africa.

Minister of Woman Affairs and Social Development, Honourable Iman Suleiman Ibrahim, called on women to unite and use their full potential. She described collaboration as the “missing piece” in advancing women’s leadership.

Ibrahim also stressed the importance of economic empowerment, saying, “When women have money, they can do anything, they can participate politically, take care of their families, ensure their children stay in school, and protect themselves from abuse.”

On political participation, Ibrahim warned that women could end up competing against each other if strategies are not well planned. “We must be very intentional in negotiations. We can raise the resources to take political seats, but we must do it strategically,” she said.

Kwara State First Lady, Ambassador Professor Olufolake AbdulRazaq, who was present at the event, also spoke about state-level initiatives to support women and children.

“In Kwara State, we have passed the 35% Accommodation Bill and extended maternity leave to 50 months for working mothers. We are working on nutrition and addressing period poverty so girls do not miss school,” she said.

She added that these programmes aim to ensure girls stay in school and mothers can provide for their families.