By JUSTINA AUTA

Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, has unveiled Nigeria’s major women empowerment initiatives at the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York. This was contained in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by Ahmed Danbazau, Head of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

Suleiman-Ibrahim, who led a high-powered Nigerian delegation to the global meeting, said the Federal Government was implementing wide-ranging programmes aimed at improving the welfare of citizens, particularly women and children.

Addressing the meeting on behalf of Nigeria, the minister said the country aligned with the African Group statement and reaffirmed commitment to advancing gender equality, women empowerment, inclusive justice, rights protection and sustainable development.

She described gender equality as a cornerstone for inclusive action, equitable justice, protection of rights and sustainable development, stressing that empowering women remained critical to national stability, prosperity and shared progress.

The minister said President Bola Tinubu, under the Renewed Hope Agenda, had declared 2026 as Nigeria’s “Year of Families and Social Development” to strengthen families, empower women and protect children.

According to her, the declaration reflects the President’s belief that strengthening families is fundamental to empowering women, protecting children and fostering cohesive communities capable of driving sustainable development nationwide.

“Under the leadership of our President, Nigeria’s social protection architecture has expanded significantly from under one million households in 2015 to almost 10 million in 2026.

“With women constituting more than 70 per cent of primary beneficiaries, this represents one of the most significant social protection expansions in Nigeria’s post-independence history and remains the foundation our government continues building upon,” she said.

Suleiman-Ibrahim said Nigeria was accelerating implementation of the Renewed Hope Social Impact Interventions 774, describing it as the largest locally driven investment for women empowerment in the country’s history.

She explained that the initiative covered livelihood support, clean energy access, financial inclusion, digital empowerment and expanded social protection programmes designed to uplift women and vulnerable households nationwide.

The minister also highlighted the Women Digital Harmony Initiative, including the Happy Woman App, a mobile platform designed to aggregate services, opportunities and support systems available to women.

According to her, the platform will connect more than 20 million women to information, mentorship and economic opportunities while strengthening support networks, inclusion and access to services nationwide.

On gender-based violence, Suleiman-Ibrahim said Nigeria had strengthened institutional responses through a holistic safeguard mechanism that included a National Electronic Dashboard for improved coordination, monitoring and accountability.

She added that government was scaling up prevention initiatives and survivor-support systems to address emerging threats, particularly technology-facilitated gender-based violence affecting women and girls across communities.

The minister further said Nigeria was advancing the care economy as a pathway to gender equality and inclusive growth by promoting policies recognising unpaid care work.

She explained that the policies would help reduce unpaid care responsibilities while expanding childcare, eldercare and broader social support services needed to improve women’s economic participation and productivity.

Suleiman-Ibrahim said Nigeria’s progress in gender equality was anchored on strong legal and policy frameworks supporting women’s rights, protection and economic empowerment nationwide.

She listed the frameworks to include the National Gender Policy, National Women’s Economic Empowerment Policy, the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015 and the Child Rights Act 2003.

The minister said government had also adopted an affirmative procurement system aimed at expanding access for women-owned and women-led businesses to public contracts within Nigeria’s procurement framework.

She added that Nigeria had increased domestic budget allocations for women while prioritising gender budgeting, gender finance and gender-sensitive financial practices to boost investment in women and children.

However, the minister noted that women’s political representation in parliament remained below 10 per cent but expressed optimism that the proposed Reserved Special Seats Bill would improve participation.

She also highlighted the increasing emergence of women in appointive leadership positions across both public and private sectors, particularly within Nigeria’s financial services industry and regulatory institutions.

Suleiman-Ibrahim said Nigeria was promoting positive masculinity as a strategy for advancing gender equality, adding that the National Boy Child Policy was currently undergoing validation.

She further said Nigeria was advancing innovative partnerships through promotion of CEDAW Cities aimed at translating international commitments on women’s rights into concrete actions within communities.

The minister also highlighted the Nigerian for Women Programme, a World Bank-supported initiative targeting 4.5 million beneficiaries to promote income generation and address harmful social norms.

She reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to working with the international community to accelerate progress on gender equality, expand opportunities for women and girls and strengthen families globally. (NAN)