‎Beijing+30: Stakeholders Renew Call For Women’s Rights, Equality

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‎‎By Justina Auta
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‎ Stakeholders have renewed calls for stronger policies, sustained funding and collective action to advance the rights of women and girls in Nigeria.
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‎The stakeholders made the call at the Beijing +30 Women’s Summit, on Tuesday in Abuja. as the world marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
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‎The Beijing Declaration and Platform for action, adopted in 1995 focus on women’s empowerment, gender equality and sustainable development, with a call to action for global progress.
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‎The summit was organised by the Amandla Institute for Policy and Leadership Advancement in collaboration with the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN-Nigeria) and Womanifesto.
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‎The stakeholders said that systemic barriers, policies and underfunding had slowed progress toward gender equity.
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‎They said that urgent reform was needed to ensure that women can fully participate in national decision-making.
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‎Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Minister of Women Affairs, said that Nigerian women possessed enormous potential but were held back by disunity, under-investment, and structural barriers.
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‎Sulaiman-Ibrahim said that economic empowerment was a critical pathway to financially stable women, reducing vulnerability, enabling participation in decision-making and supporting children’s education.
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‎“When women have money, they can achieve anything. Financially empowered women are better positioned to resist domestic abuse, support their families, and engage meaningfully in politics,” she said.
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‎On legislative reforms, the minister expressed concern about the proposed reserved-seats bill for women, warning that poor design could put women against one another and undermine progress.
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‎She, therefore, called for strategic consensus-building and intentional negotiation.
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‎“We can get more.Why are we negotiating for less?”
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‎Drawing on lessons from China, she highlighted how intentional investment in women transformed outcomes for millions.
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‎She also decried Nigeria’s absence in major continental and global gender platforms, urging women to show up and work collectively to secure representation.
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‎She said that Nigeria ccould not solve gender challenges without unity, honesty and shared ownership of reforms.
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‎“The power of teamwork makes the dream work,” she said.
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‎She therefore called for intentional coalition-building, informed advocacy, and strategic negotiations to secure sustainable political representation for women.
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‎Professor Olabisi Aina of Sociology and Gender Studies at Obafemi Awolowo University, in her keynote address, said that Nigeria’s gender-equity efforts remained trapped in fragmented coordination, underfunding and data poverty.
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‎Aina emphasised the need for the Ministry of Women Affairs to drive gender-responsive policies across health, education, agriculture and planning, ensuring that government action advances women’s rights and inclusion.
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‎She called for a transformative feminist governance model, driven by collaboration, justice, accountability and data.
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‎“Feminist leadership is not about filling seats but reshaping the table and ensuring that women who enter governance understand the issues and can negotiate effectively.
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‎“When a nation is directed only by the brains of men, can you say it is thinking in totality?
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‎Nigeria is lagging behind its African peers on women’s political representation, and this is a shame for a country considered the giant of Africa,” she said.
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‎She identified key pillars for progress, including intergenerational mentorship, gender-responsive budgeting, stronger GBV interventions, feminist data governance, and investment in knowledge production.
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‎“How can you change the situation of women when you do not have data? Data is the engine of transformation,” she said.
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‎Prof. Olufolake AbdulRazaq, Chairperson, Nigeria Governors Spouses’ Forum and first Lady of Kwara State, reaffirmed commitment towards ending GBV, improving women’s rights, economic empowerment and participation in governance.
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‎Earlier, Mrs Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, Co-founder, Amandla Institute, highlighted the need to tackle Gender-Based Violence (GBV), noting progress in some states but highlighting the need for nationwide accountability.
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‎“The progress of African women since Beijing has been one of five steps forward and ten steps back.
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‎“We have had to say the same thing over again to different audiences, or we make gains and our losses keep increasing,” she said.
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‎She, therefore, stressed the need for conscientious efforts towards gender equality, women’s rights, ending GBV and shaping the post-Beijing gender agenda.
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‎Other activities include panel discussion on “Recalling Beijing 1995 (Looking Back)” and “Intergenerational Dialogue (Marching Forward).
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‎The summit, ended with a shared call for transformative feminist governance to address persistent inequality and accelerate meaningful change for Nigerian women.(NAN