Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has asserted that empowering women politically and economically is key to lifting Nigeria out of its current economic crisis.
Speaking on Tuesday at the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE) Coordination Mechanism and Institutional Strengthening Meeting in Abuja—jointly organized by UN Women Nigeria and the Ministry of Women Affairs—Sulaiman-Ibrahim emphasized that entrusting women with resources will significantly reduce poverty and social issues.
“If we put money in women’s hands, 90% of our problems in Nigeria will vanish. Children will go to school, and the country will thrive,” she said. She argued that empowering women at the family level translates to national stability, reducing child abuse, insecurity, and crime.
However, the minister lamented that Nigerian women remain largely marginalized in politics and the economy, warning that continued exclusion will hinder the country’s future growth.
UN Women Nigeria and ECOWAS Country Representative, Ms. Beatrice Eyong, echoed the call for greater coordination and investment in women-focused development. She highlighted that the GEWE Zonal Coordination Initiative, launched in 2023, was created to overcome the fragmented and isolated nature of past gender empowerment efforts.
“Despite numerous programmes, change has been slow due to lack of coordination, weak institutional frameworks, and insufficient gender data,” Eyong said.
She stressed that while progress has been made, current global funding cuts pose new threats to women’s development programmes, urging all stakeholders to leverage existing platforms and resources—especially domestic funding—to sustain momentum.
“Now more than ever, coordination, partnership, and investment are vital to drive results for women and girls,” she added, calling on the government, private sector, and donors to step up support.
A highlight of the event was the official donation of ICT equipment to the Ministry of Women Affairs offices across Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT.
