By Justina Auta
Stakeholders have called for renewed efforts to prioritise and address gender inequality and women’s empowerment in Nigeria, marking 30 years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA).
This call was made during a consultation meeting between the Minister of Women Affairs and key stakeholders ahead of the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) on Monday in Abuja.
The meeting, which focused on reviewing Nigeria’s progress in implementing the BPfA, highlighted achievements, challenges, and priorities for advancing gender equality in the country.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim emphasised that while significant progress had been made in promoting women’s rights, more work was needed to bridge existing gaps.
Represented by Director of Women Development, Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Mrs Friya Bulus said, “We are here to recognise the progress made, assess our performance, and identify areas of challenge while considering best practices over the years.
“We will also look at what has constituted major challenges to women’s economic empowerment and gender equality.
“We will be looking at the report critically, identifying gaps and exploring what we, as consultants and experts in our respective fields, can do to address these areas.
“Our goal is to develop recommendations that the world will listen to at Beijing CSW69,” she said.
Mrs Beatrice Eyong, UNWomen Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, noted Nigeria’s progress, particularly in women’s political participation over the past three decades.
She lauded the increasing confidence of political parties in including women on electoral lists.
However, she also highlighted emerging challenges and gaps that required collective action for transformative change.
She stressed that the consultation was vital for ensuring that Nigeria’s national report for CSW 69 was inclusive and reflective of the realities of women and girls across the country.
The International Lead Consultant, presented Nigeria’s Draft BPfA+30, Dr Felicia Onibon which showed progress in implementing the BPfA over the past 30 years, focusing on the last five years (2020–2025).
Onibon highlighted significant strides, including the development of two laws and the strengthening of two others under the Spotlight Initiative in Nigeria.
She also noted that 99,985 girls and boys were reached through in-school interventions, with additional outreach to 82,852 out-of-school youths.
Furthermore, 16,725,584 voices were amplified in communities against gender-based violence (GBV) and harmful practices.
Onibon emphasised the need to identify gaps and recommended that the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs continued collaborating with international development agencies, local partners, and relevant government institutions to accelerate progress.
She pointed out that Nigeria, as Africa’s most populous nation, face unique challenges that required tailored interventions to fully implement the BPfA.
Other stakeholders echoed the need for stronger policies, increased funding, and enhanced advocacy to tackle issues such as gender-based violence, economic empowerment, political participation, and access to education for women and girls.
The 30th anniversary of the BPfA provides an opportunity for Nigeria to reassess its commitments and accelerate actions toward achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment.
