Minister Sulaiman-Ibrahim launches bold plan to close gender gap in agriculture
By Dr. Nafisat Makinde
The Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has flagged off the Women Agro Value Expansion (WAVE) Initiative, a landmark programme designed to empower 10 million women across Nigeria’s agricultural value chain. The initiative, launched at a three-day national capacity-building workshop in Abuja, is part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The workshop, organised in collaboration with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), featured practical training on greenhouse farming, post-harvest storage, financial literacy, and agribusiness. Minister Sulaiman-Ibrahim described the event as “a turning point” in dismantling systemic barriers that limit women’s opportunities despite their vital role in Nigeria’s agriculture.
“Women make up 70% of Nigeria’s agricultural workforce and produce 80% of our total output. Yet, they earn 30% less, and only 10% have access to land or finance. This exclusion ends now,” she declared.
The WAVE initiative seeks to position women as entrepreneurs, innovators, and key drivers of food systems transformation. A Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry and the OIC was signed to strengthen international support for women’s empowerment and food security.
The Minister also commended private sector partners such as the Mutual Commitment Company (MCC) for backing the programme, describing their role as “a blueprint for others.” For participants like Mrs. Dinatu Adiza Sani, a smallholder farmer from Abuja Municipal Area Council, the training is life-changing: “I have been farming ginger and groundnuts since childhood, but I only sell them raw. This workshop is teaching me how to add value and earn more.”
As Nigeria marks three decades since the Beijing Platform for Action and the establishment of the Ministry of Women Affairs, Sulaiman-Ibrahim urged women to seize new opportunities. “Your success is Nigeria’s success,” she said. With WAVE, Nigeria signals that women are no longer bystanders in agriculture but leaders of its future.
