The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing women’s participation in politics and governance, with the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, calling for stronger regional action to translate gender equality commitments into measurable outcomes across West Africa.
Speaking at the High-Level Women’s Political Leadership Forum in Abuja on Thursday, the minister welcomed women leaders, policymakers and development partners from across the ECOWAS region, describing women’s political leadership as a strategic necessity for democratic governance, peace, security and sustainable development rather than a matter of representation alone.
She commended the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN), ECOWAS, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other partners for convening the forum at a critical period as ECOWAS marks its 50th anniversary.
According to her, despite women accounting for more than half of West Africa’s population, their representation in national legislatures across the region remains below 20 per cent, making it imperative for member states to accelerate implementation of the Presidential Declaration on Gender Parity in Political Representation.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim said Nigeria is reviewing its National Gender Policy (2021–2026) while developing a third-generation policy framework aimed at addressing emerging realities and strengthening women’s inclusion in governance.
She reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to achieving the 35 per cent affirmative action benchmark for women’s participation in political party structures and public leadership, noting that the country’s third-generation National Action Plan on the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 has already been implemented in 16 states to promote women’s leadership in peacebuilding, conflict prevention and security governance.
The minister said the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, alongside the declaration of 2026 as the Year of Families and Social Development, reflects the administration’s recognition of the family as the foundation of leadership, citizenship and national values.
She added that women account for more than 70 per cent of beneficiaries under major national social investment and economic empowerment programmes, describing investments in women as essential to improving household welfare and national development.
Highlighting progress at the state level, Sulaiman-Ibrahim said states such as Kwara and Ekiti have surpassed the 35 per cent affirmative action target in key governance and political inclusion indicators, demonstrating that deliberate policy interventions can produce measurable results.
She noted that women currently make up between 17 and 20 per cent of the Federal Executive Council and occupy over 30 per cent of senior management positions in the federal civil service.
According to the minister, Nigeria has consistently appointed women as Head of the Civil Service of the Federation since 2015, while women now constitute about one-third of judges in the country’s superior courts and continue to occupy leadership positions across the judiciary.
She also highlighted recent milestones, including women serving as the Chief Justice of Nigeria, President of the Court of Appeal, Solicitor-General of the Federation, Director-General of the Nigerian Law School and President of the Nigerian Bar Association.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim further said women’s representation is expanding across the country’s security institutions, including the Armed Forces, Nigeria Police Force, intelligence agencies and paramilitary organisations, noting that Nigeria now has a female Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service and recently appointed its first female Deputy Director-General within the intelligence community.
She urged ECOWAS member states to build on these gains by strengthening policies and institutions that promote gender-responsive leadership, insisting that inclusive governance is essential to the region’s democratic and developmental aspirations.
