JUST IN: Minister, Ejembi, Development practitioner calls for stronger reforms to increase women participation in governance 

 

 

 

 

 

By OGB  Joseph, Abuja 

 

 

 

The Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim has demanded more women representation in activities that directly touch on them saying women empowerment must be given priority of place as a act in the constitution for full inclusivity. 

 

In her keynote address, Minister Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim stressed that women’s empowerment must be treated as a core national development strategy rather than a peripheral social issue.

 

 

“The world no longer needs more declarations,” she said. “It needs accelerated implementation, bold investments and systems that place women at the centre of national development.”

She also presented Nigeria’s Real Hope Social Impact Intervention 774 initiative as a national framework designed to reach women across all 774 local government areas, focusing on sectors such as agriculture, energy access, digital inclusion, health, education and leadership development.

 

 

According to the minister, the programme aims to translate policy commitments into practical interventions that strengthen women’s economic participation and social wellbeing across communities.

 

 

A fireside conversation at the event between the minister and Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations,  it broadened the discussion to the global implications of women’s leadership.

 

 

Mohammed emphasised that justice, inclusive governance and women’s leadership are essential for democratic stability and sustainable development.

“The foundations of human rights and women’s rights are about justice,” she said, adding that excluding women from decision-making undermines national progress.

 

 

She further stressed that achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 is indispensable to the success of the entire Sustainable Development Agenda.

“Without Goal 5, there are no SDGs,” she stated. “If there is no justice for women, it is a country flying on half of the bird’s wings.”

Mohammed also warned that the world is currently experiencing what she described as a “drought of leadership,” suggesting that inclusive, values-driven women’s leadership could help address global governance challenges.

 

 

 

 

Also speaking at the International fora, a Nigerian development practitioner Enene Ejembi at the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) in New York, called for stronger reforms to increase women’s participation in governance, warning that Nigeria’s low representation of women in political leadership weakens inclusive policymaking and national development outcomes.

 

 

 

 

Ejembi who spoke at the second edition of Nigeria Women’s Day, a high-level gathering convened by Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, on the sidelines of CSW70. The event brought together policymakers, civil society leaders and development practitioners to discuss Women’s Leadership, Peace and Security for Social Impact.

 

 

In her remarks, Ejembi highlighted the stark gender imbalance in Nigeria’s political system, noting that women currently hold about 3.9 per cent of seats in the National Assembly of Nigeria, placing the country among those with the lowest levels of female parliamentary representation globally.

 

 

She contrasted this with the global average of about 27.5 per cent female representation in parliaments, stressing that the limited presence of women in Nigeria’s governance structures means that national policy, peacebuilding efforts and development priorities are shaped without the full spectrum of societal perspectives.

 

 

 

Ejembi linked the issue directly to the global Women, Peace and Security agenda established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, which recognizes women’s participation as essential to conflict prevention, peacebuilding and post-conflict recovery.

 

 

According to her, the resolution underscores a simple but powerful insight: societies are stronger when women participate in shaping decisions that affect governance and peace.

 

 

“UNSCR 1325 recognised a simple truth,” she said. “When women participate in preventing conflict, negotiating peace and rebuilding societies, institutions become stronger, social cohesion deepens, and development outcomes become more sustainable.”

 

 

Ejembi argued that inclusive leadership strengthens both governance systems and societal resilience, noting that sustainable development cannot be achieved when half of the population remains under-represented in decision-making processes.

 

 

 

She identified constitutional reform and political party transformation as two critical pathways for expanding women’s participation in leadership. One proposal currently under consideration in Nigeria involves constitutional amendments to create special legislative seats for women at both federal and state levels.

 

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Ejembi pointed to African examples where such affirmative measures have improved representation, including Rwanda and Senegal, which have implemented quota systems that significantly increased women’s presence in parliament.

 

 

She noted that beyond institutional reforms, she emphasised the importance of behavioural and cultural change, urging women to actively nurture political ambition, participate in political parties and support one another through mentorship and professional networks.

 

 

“Unless political parties themselves stop functioning as boys’ clubs, progress will remain limited,” she said, adding that women must increasingly participate in party structures to influence candidate selection and internal decision-making.

She also encouraged women not to disengage completely from professional and leadership spaces during child-bearing years, advising them to maintain networks and economic participation in order to remain positioned for leadership opportunities later in their careers.

 

 

The event formed part of a broader national engagement at CSW70 aimed at showcasing Nigeria’s policy direction on gender equality and social development.