By Dr. Nafisat Makinde
Nigeria says it is mobilizing $1.2 billion in financing to sustain gender programmes and accelerate women’s empowerment across the country.
Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, announced this in Beijing at the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women, themed “One Shared Future: New and Accelerated Process for Women’s All-Round Development.”
Representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Minister said the initiative is part of the Renewed Hope Agenda, which places women, children, and families at the centre of national renewal. She noted that the government is leveraging private-sector partnerships and blended finance to close the gap and ensure measurable progress.
“We are working to bridge a $1.2 billion financing gap to sustain transformative gender programmes and accelerate women-centred reforms,” she said. “Empowering women is not an act of charity but an investment in productivity, peace, and shared prosperity.”
Sulaiman-Ibrahim highlighted the Renewed Hope Social Impact Interventions-774 (RH-SII-774) as a key national platform driving women-focused transformation across all 774 local government areas. She also reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the Special Reserved Seats Bill to improve women’s representation in politics and decision-making.
The Minister called for stronger global partnerships to sustain momentum, emphasizing that Nigeria’s gender policies including the National Gender Policy, the Women’s Economic Empowerment Policy, and the National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security are already reshaping communities and creating measurable change.
“Nigeria moves from commitment to action, determined that no woman will be unseen, no girl unheard, and no family left behind,” she added.
