By Oluwatobi Omotosho
The Federal Government, in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and UN Women, on Wednesday launched the Nigeria Gender Profile and Roadmap to Equality 2030, a policy framework aimed at addressing gender disparities and advancing equal opportunities for women and girls across the country.
Speaking at the inauguration, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, said the document provides an evidence-based assessment of the state of gender equality in Nigeria and outlines practical steps for achieving national targets by 2030.
According to the minister, the roadmap serves as both a diagnostic tool and a strategic guide for advancing gender inclusion.
“Gender equality is not a concession; it is a sound investment in the strength of our nation.
“When women and girls enjoy equal access to education, finance, leadership and security, families are more stable, communities are more resilient and the economy grows,” she said.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim noted that the roadmap, developed with support from AfDB and UN Women, identifies key gender gaps and priority actions needed to address them.
She added that ongoing government programmes, including the Renewed Hope Social Impact Interventions and the Nigeria for Women Programme, have already reached more than 560,000 women nationwide.
Also speaking, the Acting Vice President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery and Director-General for Nigeria at the African Development Bank Group, Abdul Kamara, described gender equality as an economic necessity rather than merely a social goal.
“Gender equality is not a social objective. It is an economic imperative. Nigeria cannot afford to leave half of its population behind,” he said.
Kamara said persistent inequalities in education, employment, finance and leadership continue to limit inclusive growth and economic development.
According to him, closing gender gaps could increase Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product by between two and three per cent annually.
“This is not marginal. This is transformational,” he added.
He stressed that while commitments to gender equality already exist, the focus must now shift to implementation.
“The challenge is no longer about commitments. It is about implementation at scale,” Kamara said.
Representing the UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong, Mr Dama Ghimire said gender inequality continues to constrain Nigeria’s development potential despite the significant contributions of women to the economy.
He noted that women remain largely concentrated in low-income and informal sectors, while their representation in leadership and decision-making positions remains limited.
“Gender equality is not a standalone agenda. It is the thread that runs across economic transformation, democratic governance, human capital development, climate resilience and sustainable peace.
“When gender equality advances, development accelerates,” he said.
The UN Women representative emphasised that the roadmap is a collective responsibility involving federal and state governments, development institutions, the private sector and civil society organisations.
“This is not a roadmap for the Ministry of Women Affairs alone. It is a roadmap for all ministries, federal and state governments, development finance institutions, the private sector and civil society,” he said.
The roadmap is expected to guide the implementation of Nigeria’s gender equality commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the National Development Plan 2026–2030.
