Women Will Lead Africa’s $29 Trillion Economic Ambition – Shettima

Vice President Kashim Shettima has said women would be at the forefront of Africa’s projected $29 trillion economic transformation.

He expressed a firm conviction that gender inclusion was not merely a rhetorical commitment but a cornerstone of Nigeria’s national development agenda.

Naijaonpoint reports that Senator Shettima stated this on Thursday in Abuja when he declared open the 2025 Gender Inclusion Conference and launched Project #SheIsIncluded to bridge gender gaps in finance and the broader economy.

According to a statement from his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, the conference with the theme, ‘Breaking Barriers, Building Resilience for Sustainable Women’s Economic and Financial Inclusion,’ built on the 2024 Aso Accord for Economic and Financial Inclusion and underscored Nigeria’s commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5: gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.

“We cannot build the Nigeria or Africa we envision without fully integrating women into our economic systems. Women are not just participants in our economy; they are leaders, innovators, and the bedrock of sustainable development,” he said.

According to Shettima, Project #SheIsIncluded was built on four key pillars of education and financial literacy, maternal healthcare, gender-sensitive policies and programmes, and expanded economic opportunities for women.

He also announced that the initiative would reach all 774 local government areas across Nigeria to ensure no woman is left behind.

“Our commitment to gender inclusion is not a cosmetic performance to placate the sensibilities of progressives; it is a fundamental pillar of our national development agenda. We are not just assuring the women of Nigeria of their place in our collective journey—we are creating the pathways for them to lead the charge,” he stated.

He explained that the project “is not just about meeting quotas—it is about unlocking the full potential of our people to drive the broader economic goals of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration”.

The Vice President noted that the initiative would be spearheaded by the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion in partnership with the Ministry of Women Affairs.

“To build an inclusive economic ecosystem where all Nigerians, regardless of gender, can contribute and benefit, we must redouble our efforts and align with global best practices. We must be relentless in our pursuit of Sustainable Development Goal 5—achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls,” he noted.

The former Borno State governor emphasized that the two-day conference was more than just a forum for discussion as it was an avenue for serious reflection and practical strategizing on building an inclusive nation.

He urged both public and private sector stakeholders to take the opportunity to outline actionable steps towards active participation in the gender inclusion agenda.

“I look forward to the recommendations that will emerge from this conference, knowing that they will shape the future of gender inclusion in Nigeria,” he added.

We Must Break Barriers To Empower Women – Kekere-Ekun

In her remarks, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, said the conference was an important milestone in the collective effort to outline ways of breaking barriers to empowering women and promoting inclusion.

She said gender inclusion was a key enabler of sustainable development and central to addressing poverty and fostering economic growth. She noted that it should translate into financial independence, wealth creation, and leadership development for women across different sectors.

The Chief Justice assured that the judiciary would work with stakeholders to ensure that women’s rights to access economic resources and ownership of property, among others, were protected and not subjected to the dictates of individuals or obsolete cultural practices and stereotypes.

Govs Sani, Okpebholo, Namadi and Ibrahim Call For Stakeholders Support In Women Empowerment

Also speaking, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim, said the conference offered a unique opportunity to strengthen strategic frameworks for dismantling all barriers to actualising all women empowerment programmes and initiatives.

On his part, Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, stressed that the conference’s goals aligned with his government’s agenda on gender and economic inclusion, targeting women and vulnerable groups through the Kaduna State policy on women empowerment.

He highlighted programmes by the state government that have impacted women across agriculture, commerce, and different areas of the MSMEs, noting that the time to remove all impediments to women’s empowerment and inclusion was now and must be supported by all stakeholders.

The Governor of Jigawa State, Umar Namadi, said that given the position of women in the society, empowering them was an imperative and a step in the right direction that must be sustained, declaring that Jigawa in the realization of this great potential has placed itself as a champion and model for women empowerment in Nigeria.

He said that girl child education in the state was free at all levels and was tracked across the state, noting that it was a deliberate policy of his government to stimulate and improve rural economy.

In the same vein, Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, commended the conveners for the initiative, noting that it was a call to action, and that his administration is deliberate about pursuing policies on inclusion and uplifting of women to harness their productive potential.