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To commemorate International Women’s Day (IWD) 2025, the International Press Centre (IPC) and ElectHER have urged the Nigerian government and stakeholders to take decisive action in prioritizing the rights, empowerment, and well-being of women and girls.
Inspired by the UN Women’s 2025 theme, “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment,” the organizations call for accelerated efforts to boost women’s representation and dismantle systemic barriers.
With under five years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the organizations stress that achieving SDG 5 on gender equality is pivotal, as it has a ripple effect on the other 16 goals and urges action to close gender gaps and boost Nigeria’s performance indicators.
The organizations accentuate that achieving gender parity is crucial for economic stability and prosperity. However, Nigeria lags with women holding only 6 of 34 ministerial positions, 6 deputy governorships, and a mere 3.9% of parliamentary seats as of February 2024.
Nigeria ranks 116th out of 190 countries in UN Women’s 2024 global rankings on women in executive positions, highlighting a critical need for intensified efforts.
In a statement, Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director of IPC, highlighted the media’s role in advancing democratic values and empowering women.
He said: ” _The media’s influence in shaping gender narratives is undeniable, reinforcing IPC’s commitment to empowering female journalists and supporting female candidates with essential media skills. While progress has been made, achieving these goals requires continued collaboration to ensure women’s active participation in leadership roles_ .”
Similarly, Ibijoke Faborode, Founder and CEO of ElectHER, emphasized the urgent need for gender-responsive reforms, linking women’s leadership to national development.
“ _As we mark IWD 2025, ElectHER remains committed to equipping women with the skills, resources, and opportunities needed to thrive in political and leadership positions. The path to gender equity is not just a moral imperative, studies show that nations with greater women’s representation in government experience higher GDP growth, increased investment in social sectors like health and education, and stronger commitments to peace and security,”_ she noted.
To close the gender gap in Nigeria, IPC and ElectHER propose the following key actions for government, policymakers, and stakeholders:
1. *Pass Gender-Responsive Bills* by prioritizing the passage of key legislation to increase women’s representation in politics, including the Additional Seats Bill and the Independent Candidacy Bill.
2. *Ensure nationwide domestication of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act,* secure its full implementation and enforcement in all states to strengthen legal protections for women and girls against violence and discrimination.
3. *Enforce Affirmative Action in Political Leadership* by expediting the passage and implementation of the 35% Affirmative Action Bill, ensuring political parties and government institutions meet the minimum quota for women in leadership and decision-making positions.
4. *Adopt Gender-Responsive Budgeting*to ensure fair resource allocation and targeted investments to address women’s economic disparities and strengthen economic empowerment programs to scale up access to credit, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship support for women, particularly in high-growth sectors to bridge the economic inclusion gap.
5. *Improve Women’s Access to Healthcare* by expanding access to affordable reproductive and maternal healthcare, ensuring policies prioritize women’s health and well-being.
6. *Strengthen Accountability Mechanisms* by establishing robust monitoring and evaluation systems to track progress on gender policies, ensuring measurable impact and accountability in implementation.
