By Jane Okeke
Women leaders, policymakers and development partners have called for increased investment in women’s leadership, political participation and economic empowerment, saying Africa cannot achieve sustainable development while excluding half of its leadership potential.
The call was made on Tuesday at a Women Leaders Networking Meeting in Abuja themed, “Women Leading Africa’s Next Chapter,” organised by the United Nations Development Programme Nigeria and co-hosted by the Federal Ministries of Women Affairs and Foreign Affairs in honour of the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Africa, Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa.
The event brought together women from government, diplomacy, business, academia, civil society and development institutions to strengthen collaboration and promote inclusive leadership across the continent.
Speaking at the event, Eziakonwa said Africa’s future would depend on its ability to create systems that enable women not only to participate in development but also to lead transformation.
She said, “The question before us is no longer whether women should participate in Africa’s development—they already do. The more important question is whether Africa is creating the conditions that allow women to lead transformation at the scale our future demands, because the future we seek cannot be built by drawing on only half of our leadership capacity.”
According to her, inclusive leadership is a strategic investment in stronger institutions, improved governance and sustainable development.
She added that the challenge was no longer representation alone but ensuring that women influence policy, drive innovation, mobilise investments and build institutions capable of transforming societies.
“This is not only a gender conversation; it is a development conversation, because countries that fail to unlock the full potential of all their people inevitably limit the pace of their own transformation,” she said.
Eziakonwa urged Nigeria to sustain ongoing efforts to expand women’s political representation, noting that initiatives such as the African Facility for Women in Political Leadership and the Africa Academy for Women in Political Leadership were designed to strengthen women’s participation in governance.
She disclosed that more than 1,300 women from 41 African countries, including Nigeria, had applied for the inaugural programme.
According to her, “Africa does not lack women ready to lead. What we must do is continue investing in the institutions, networks and opportunities that allow them to do so.”
She also called for greater use of the African Continental Free Trade Area to expand opportunities for women-led businesses, stressing that Africa’s next phase of development would require stronger partnerships, innovation and inclusive leadership.
“The true measure of progress will not be how many remarkable women we can name, but whether remarkable women become entirely unremarkable because leadership has become genuinely inclusive,” she added.
Earlier, the Resident Representative of UNDP Nigeria, Ms. Elsie Attafuah, described the gathering as a strategic platform for dialogue, mentorship and collaboration.
She said, “Africa’s transformation will depend on the quality, diversity and inclusiveness of the leadership we build today.”
Attafuah urged participants to transform the networking platform into a lasting movement capable of mentoring future women leaders and influencing national development.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, said although Nigeria had recorded progress in advancing women’s rights, significant gaps remained in women’s representation across governance, diplomacy, industry and innovation.
She said, “Women remain underrepresented in the corridors of power. Within our public institutions, diplomacy, industry and the portfolio of innovation, however, each one of us, in her own way, has broken the mould.”
According to the minister, government programmes aimed at women empowerment have attracted investments exceeding $540m, with discussions ongoing to expand funding beyond $2bn.
She also linked national development to stronger family systems.
“Nobody dropped from the trees. Imagine if Nigerian families were strong. There would be no bandits, there would be no out-of-school children and there would be no children suffering from malnutrition,” she said.
The First Lady of Kwara State, Ambassador Prof. Olufolake AbdulRazaq, reaffirmed the commitment of governors’ spouses to advancing the welfare of women, youths and children through education, healthcare and economic empowerment initiatives.
Similarly, the First Lady of Imo State and Chairperson of the Progressive Governors’ Spouses Forum, Mrs. Chioma Uzodimma, described Eziakonwa as an inspiration to young Nigerian women, saying her achievements demonstrated the possibilities available to women who lead with excellence and integrity.
Participants at the meeting reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening mentorship, partnerships and policies that promote women’s leadership as a catalyst for Africa’s development.
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