The Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, has said Nigeria will not achieve its development goals unless deliberate steps are taken by the executive, legislature and public institutions to promote the empowerment, inclusion and leadership advancement of women.
She made this known at the 2026 Young Women’s Leadership Conference (YWLC) held in Abuja, where she stressed that the leadership of young women should not be treated as a form of charity or social courtesy, but as a critical requirement for national development.
According to her, sustainable growth depends on how well women are empowered to contribute to innovation, influence policy decisions and drive measurable impact across different sectors.
Bala Usman called on government institutions at all levels to ensure that inclusion is embedded in policy implementation rather than treated as an afterthought. She advocated gender-responsive planning and budgeting, improved safety in schools and communities, stronger enforcement of protection policies, and expanded access to skills development and enterprise support for women.
She also emphasised the need to create deliberate pathways for women to participate more actively in governance and national development.
“The legislature and public institutions also have crucial roles in strengthening laws, policies and accountability mechanisms that expand opportunities for women. Legal frameworks are only as powerful as their implementation,” she said.
The presidential aide also criticised discriminatory practices against women in some public institutions, including reports of policies requiring spousal consent before female civil servants are allocated official housing, as well as restrictions affecting maternity leave for unmarried women.
“A nation that relies on its women being able to endure more than it enables them to lead is wasting capacity,” she added.
The conference, themed “Innovate, Influence, Impact: Accelerating Young Women’s Roles in National Development,” was organised by the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre in collaboration with several government agencies and development partners.
In her remarks, the Director-General of the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre, Rinsola Abiola, said the initiative reflects the federal government’s commitment to empowering women and young people.
She disclosed that more than 1,500 young women have benefited from leadership, entrepreneurship and mentorship programmes since the initiative began in 2024, while 20 participants from the 2025 edition received ₦500,000 grants each to support their businesses.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, encouraged young women to focus on competence, hard work and professionalism, urging them to take up greater roles in politics and public service.
The event ended with panel discussions featuring women leaders from different sectors, as well as the signing of a partnership agreement aimed at strengthening mentorship and leadership development programmes for young women across future editions of the conference.
