Nigeria's Federal Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has called for a unified execution system between the government, private sector leaders, and development partners to create accessible pathways for women and young girls across high-value sectors. This call was made at a high-level United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) side event organised by Vivacity Development. The Minister emphasized the need for a collaborative approach to empower women and young girls.
Minister Sulaiman-Ibrahim stressed that economic empowerment requires moving beyond viewing women as passive beneficiaries of social programmes. Instead, stakeholders must establish clear entry points that enable women to participate as fabricators, owners, and critical leaders across key value chains, including technology, artificial intelligence, fintech, and clean energy. This approach will help women build real economic power and become leaders in their respective fields.
The Minister highlighted national policy momentum under the Renewed Hope Agenda, pointing to the 35% Affirmative Procurement Policy. This policy mandates that over a third of public procurement contracts be reserved for women-owned and women-led enterprises. This initiative aims to provide women with opportunities to access multi-million-dollar credit tools and build economic power.
Engr. Oluwakemi Ann-Melody Areola, Convener and CEO of Vivacity Development, emphasized the urgency of structural collaboration in preparing Africa's next generation for the global economy. She stressed that building sustainable economic mobility requires more than isolated interventions; it demands intentional alignment between government policy, private capital, and practical skills development.
The Minister reinforced that while the government creates supportive policy frameworks and financial access mechanisms, private sector captains and practitioners are essential to scaling these solutions effectively. Collaboration between the government and private sector is crucial to empowering women and young girls and enabling them to compete and lead in the global marketplace.
Vivacity Development is a global social enterprise and development practice dedicated to bridging the gap between raw talent, global institutional capital, and market access. The organization creates research-driven interventions and strategic platforms that connect local potential with international opportunity, aiming to democratize access to future-ready skills and build sustainable economic mobility corridors across Africa.
The high-level UNGA side event, organised by Vivacity Development, brought together diplomats, global investors, and civil society leaders to discuss the empowerment of women and young girls. The event aimed to ensure that young women and youth are not just included in the conversation but are equipped to compete and lead in the global marketplace, with a focus on building sustainable economic mobility and intentional alignment between government policy, private capital, and practical skills development.
Key points
- Nigeria's Minister of Women Affairs calls for unified public-private systems to empower women and young girls.
- The 35% Affirmative Procurement Policy mandates that over a third of public procurement contracts be reserved for women-owned and women-led enterprises.
- Collaboration between government and private sector is crucial to empowering women and young girls and enabling them to compete and lead in the global marketplace.
