The call was made at the 10th Voice of Women Conference and Awards (VOW2026), organised by the Voice of Women Empowerment Foundation (VOWEF) and Women Radio 93.7 FM in Lagos to mark the 10th anniversary of the radio station. The conference, held at Harbour Point Centre, Victoria Island, was themed “A Decade of Voices and Impact.” Delivering the keynote address, businesswoman and philanthropist, Folorunso Alakija, said having a voice was only the beginning, urging women to translate their voices, ideas and concerns into practical solutions, value and lasting impact.
Alakija said the past decade had demonstrated what women could achieve when given platforms to speak, adding that the next decade should focus on converting those voices into influence and transformation. She urged women to ensure that their voices counted, their competence delivered results, their visibility had purpose and their influence drove action. According to her, finding one’s voice was only the beginning, stressing that women also needed the capacity to make meaningful use of opportunities.
Former First Lady of Ekiti State and Co-founder of the Amandla Institute for Policy and Leadership Advancement, Erelu Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, urged women to stop reinforcing patriarchal norms that, according to her, hold them back. Speaking in a goodwill message on behalf of the Board of St Ives Communications, Fayemi congratulated the Founder and Board Chair of Women Radio, Toun Okewale-Sonaiya, for sustaining what she described as a platform built on a powerful vision and hard work.
Fayemi noted that African women had made significant gains and influenced political landscapes in countries including South Africa, Liberia, Rwanda, Namibia and Kenya, but said Nigeria still had much ground to cover. She called for personal commitment to social change, stronger legal and policy frameworks, comprehensive implementation, adequate financial, human and technical resources, as well as political will to address barriers confronting women.
The Founder of Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries, Dr Stella Okoli, challenged women to convert their voices and ideas into value through entrepreneurship, innovation and enterprise. Okoli encouraged women to start from where they were and build steadily, stressing that women could contribute significantly to Nigeria’s economic development by creating businesses, industries and solutions.
The Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Eng. Noimot Salako-Oyedele, congratulated Women Radio and VOWEF for sustaining a platform that had brought issues affecting women to public attention over the past decade. She noted that despite progress in education, enterprise and public service, gaps remained in economic opportunities, healthcare, education, leadership and participation in governance.
The conference featured discussions on women’s leadership, political participation, enterprise, representation and opportunities for women across different sectors. The Founder and Board Chair of Women Radio, Toun Okewale-Sonaiya, called for greater representation of grassroots women and women living with disabilities in decision-making spaces, saying “Women do not need to be spoken for. Women need to be heard and be empowered to shape solutions.”
Key points
- Nigerian women have been urged to move beyond having a voice to using it to create value, influence decisions and drive meaningful change in society.
- The call was made at the 10th Voice of Women Conference and Awards (VOW2026), organised by the Voice of Women Empowerment Foundation (VOWEF) and Women Radio 93.7 FM in Lagos.
- The conference featured discussions on women’s leadership, political participation, enterprise, representation and opportunities for women across different sectors.
