Traditional and cultural leaders from across Africa have committed to intensifying efforts to prevent gender-based violence (GBV) as a high-level continental conference opened on Monday in Lagos.
The Conference of African Traditional and Cultural Leaders on GBV Prevention, convened by the Ford Foundation and UN Women in partnership with the Government of Nigeria, brought together monarchs, policymakers, development partners and civil society actors to advance community-led solutions to gender-based violence.
The two-day meeting, holding from February 2 to 3, 2026, at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Ikeja, underscores growing recognition that sustainable GBV prevention must be rooted in cultural systems and traditional institutions that shape social norms across African societies.
Dignitaries at the conference include Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife; the Emir of Fika; the Emir of Shonga; Chief Siansali of Zimbabwe; President of the Ford Foundation, Heather Gerken; UN Women Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Dr. Maxime Houinato; Ford Foundation West Africa Director, Dr. Chichi Aniagolu; and UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong.
Speaking on behalf of the Lagos State Governor, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, described gender-based violence as a major social crisis requiring urgent and deliberate action. He said silence enables abuse and called for laws and community structures that protect, rather than endanger, women and girls.
Ford Foundation President Heather Gerken emphasised the importance of engaging cultural authority to drive social change, noting that collaboration with traditional and faith leaders is critical to dismantling harmful practices and promoting the dignity and rights of women and girls.
From a global policy perspective, UN Women Deputy Executive Director Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda warned that many practices accepted as tradition are, in reality, forms of abuse. She described gender-based violence as a symptom of deeper structural inequalities that must be addressed through stronger norms and institutions that guarantee justice and equality.
UN Women’s Regional Director, Dr. Maxime Houinato, highlighted the central role of culture in African societies, describing traditional leaders as key custodians of social order whose alignment with justice and equality can significantly enhance community safety.
Participants reaffirmed that traditional and cultural leaders, by virtue of their moral authority and proximity to grassroots communities, play a crucial role in challenging harmful norms and strengthening prevention and response mechanisms to GBV. The conference builds on ongoing engagement with traditional institutions, including the Council of Traditional Leaders of Africa, to formalise cultural leadership within national and regional GBV strategies.
Dr. Chichi Aniagolu of the Ford Foundation noted that culture is dynamic and shaped by those entrusted to preserve it, adding that efforts to eliminate harmful practices ultimately strengthen, rather than weaken, traditional authority.
Offering a faith-based perspective, the Emir of Shonga, HRH Alhaji Dr. Haliru Yahaya Ndanusa, cautioned against the misuse of religion to justify violence, stressing that actions that cause harm contradict core religious principles.
Also speaking, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall, urged traditional rulers to use their influence to protect lives and transform communities by championing dignity, equality and justice.
The conference is expected to conclude with the adoption of a Regional Declaration and Communiqué outlining shared commitments to end gender-based violence, alongside a Sustainability Roadmap aimed at integrating traditional leadership into long-term national and regional prevention strategies.
Organisers said the outcomes would strengthen partnerships among traditional institutions, governments, African Union bodies and civil society, improve survivor-centred support systems at the community level, and enhance coordinated resource mobilisation to combat gender-based violence across Africa.
