Nigeria has marked its first Pan-African Women’s Day celebration with stakeholders calling for renewed commitment to women’s empowerment, stronger gender-responsive policies and increased collaboration among African countries to advance women’s rights and development.
The celebration, held in Abuja at the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development (MBNCWD), attracted government officials, diplomats, development partners, traditional leaders, civil society organisations and women advocates from across the continent.
The event, themed “Africa Women: We Rise as One – Our Voice, Our Legacy, Our Africa,” focused on strengthening collective action towards improving women’s political participation, economic inclusion and leadership across Africa.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, said African women must move beyond advocacy for equality and build strategic partnerships that would drive meaningful transformation across the continent.
She said unity among women remained critical to achieving sustainable progress, noting that empowered women were central to Africa’s social and economic development.
“We rise as one because our collective strength is greater than our individual differences. The future of Africa depends on women who are empowered economically, politically and socially,” she said.
The minister said the administration of President Bola Tinubu had continued to prioritise women’s inclusion through policy interventions, empowerment initiatives and institutional reforms aimed at addressing barriers limiting women’s advancement.
She highlighted the development of the National Gender Profile and the Gender Roadmap to 2030 as measures designed to provide evidence-based data for gender-responsive planning and policymaking.
According to her, the Federal Government is also strengthening legal and policy frameworks to address challenges affecting women and girls while promoting greater opportunities for their participation in national development.
The Director-General of the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development, Dr. Adebayo Benjamins-Laniyi, described the maiden celebration as a significant moment in Nigeria’s efforts to amplify the voices and contributions of African women.
She said the event was not merely symbolic but a platform for collective reflection and action towards advancing women’s leadership, rights and economic empowerment.
Benjamins-Laniyi noted that the celebration aligned with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the Maputo Protocol, reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to advancing gender equality and women’s inclusion across the continent.
She added that activities lined up for the celebration included policy discussions, health awareness programmes, economic empowerment sessions, leadership engagements and an international gender conference focused on strengthening the African women’s agenda.
Pan-African Women’s Day is observed every July 31 to commemorate the establishment of the Pan-African Women’s Organisation (PAWO) in 1962 and celebrate the role of African women in liberation struggles, nation-building and continental development.
