Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Minister of Women Affairs, has revealed that closing gender gaps in Nigeria has the potential to boost the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by N15 trillion annually by 2025.
She made this statement during the joint UN Accountability Forum and Orange/Lighting ceremony held in Abuja on Thursday, themed “Towards Beijing +30: Unite to End Violence Against Women and Girls.”
The minister stated that studies had shown that countries with higher levels of gender equality experience faster economic growth, improved governance, and more stable societies.
“For Nigeria, closing gender gaps has the potential to add N15 trillion to our GDP annually by 2025,” she said.
She highlighted the underrepresentation of women in leadership roles, noting that women constitute 49% of our population and account for 41% of small and medium-scale enterprise (SME) owners.
However, their representation in senior leadership is just 22% with only 3.6% holding seats in parliament.
“These disparities represent untapped potentials that if harnessed, could drive our nation’s development forward, “Sulaiman-Ibrahim added.
The minister said that the event was an opportunity to reflect on shared commitment towards advancing gender equality and ending violence against women and children.
“It is an opportunity to evaluate our progress, reassess our strategies, and reaffirm our commitment to achieving the bold vision outlined in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, now approaching its 30th anniversary,” she said.
Milestones in tackling violence against women
Dr Felicia Onibon, Nigeria Report Consultant, said the over 100-page “Nigeria Beijing Report” contains all the activities done around SDGs and the Beijing platform for action in the past five years.
“To resolve some of the issues and gaps that we have in the report, we would still continue to ask that our partners within the United Nations and development agencies come up with strategic plans to support the Nigerian government,” she said.
While speaking on the Nigeria Beijing Report, Nesreen Elmolla, Deputy Representative of UN Women, said Nigeria has been an inspiring country on many fronts, but on Violence Against Women, Nigeria has been leading on operationalizing and domesticating the violence against persons, Prohibition Act, which is now operational in 35 states.
She described this as a “huge milestone” in the country’s fight against gender-based violence (GBV) and we are proud to be celebrating.
“The orange and lighting ceremony symbolizes hope, unity and a collective vision for a world and a Nigeria free of violence.”
“Let us reaffirm our commitment to a Nigeria where the rights of women, girls, men, and all people underpin justice, solidarity, and prosperity for all,” she added.
Collaboration for sustainable change
- Other speakers at the event highlighted the importance of partnerships and strategic action.
- Abdourahamane Diablo, Head of Office and Country Representative of UNESCO to Nigeria, reiterated their commitment to ending GBV, promoting girl-child education, and advancing gender equality.
“UNESCO aligns strongly with the goals of the Beijing Platform for Action, particularly in advancing gender equality through education and eradicating gender-based violence,” he said.
- Francis Koessan, Deputy Representative of UNFPA, called for greater synergy between stakeholders, engagement with men and boys, and advocacy for policy implementation to end GBV, along with investments in preventive measures to ensure the safety of women and girls.
- Cheikh Toure, UNODC Representative in Nigeria, stated: “We can transform commitment into tangible outcomes, fostering a society where women and girls can live free from violence, fear, and inequality.”