The first lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to expanding opportunities for women through social impact interventions and creating an enabling environment for sustainable national development across Nigeria. 

Mrs Tinubu, represented by Fatima Abbas-Tajudeen, wife of the speaker, House of Representatives, spoke at the “Give to Gain” summit marking 2026 International Women’s Day, organised by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and partners in Abuja on Monday.

The summit themed ‘Right, Justice, Action for all women and girls’ highlighted Nigerian women’s role in businesses, families, and communities, with calls for stronger structured support systems nationwide.

Mrs Tinubu said President Bola Tinubu’s administration remained focused on policies and investments impacting women, families, and communities under the Renewed Hope Agenda across enterprise, agriculture, social protection, and innovation sectors.

“Through this initiative, the Ministry is advancing a coordinated approach to expanding opportunities for women and families across the country.

“This structured effort ensures real community-level impact delivery.

“The conversations here must lead to action, to partnerships, investments, and programmes that make measurable differences in the lives of the women present here today and across Nigeria,” she said.

Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Minister of Women Affairs, said Nigeria’s $1 trillion ambition depended on women, who drove more than 40 per cent of agriculture yet faced exclusion; empowering them was essential.

She highlighted that women-owned businesses remained largely concentrated in the informal sector, with more than 80 per cent operating without access to formal credit or structured markets nationwide across Nigeria.

“Women-owned businesses remain largely concentrated in the informal sector, with over 80 per cent operating without access to formal credit or structured markets,” she said.

She said the “Give to Gain” initiative demonstrated how access to tools, trust, and opportunities for women generated exponential returns for families, communities, and the wider economy across Nigeria.

“This is why “Give to Gain” matters because when we give women access, tools, and trust, we unlock exponential returns for families and for the economy,” she said.

She reiterated Mr Tinubu’s support for women’s empowerment, noting that opportunity drove prosperity while systems and security fostered peace and stability across Nigeria under the Renewed Hope Agenda framework.

“The struggle for equality and equity continues. Let us therefore rise with renewed purpose to give, to grow, and to lift as we climb. For when women rise together, nations do not merely develop; they transform,” she said.

UN Women Country Representative Beatrice Eyong, represented by Patience Ekeoba, acting deputy representative, said Nigerian women excelled across sectors but remained under-represented in political leadership and public decision-making roles nationwide.

“This is not because women lack competence or ambition.

“It is because structural barriers, unequal access to campaign finance, violence in politics, discriminatory norms and limited opportunities continue to constrain participation,” she said.

SEC director general Emomotimi Agama, represented by Bola Ajomale, cited limited financial access as a barrier to women’s empowerment and urged stronger gender-responsive investment across markets and institutions in Nigeria’s economy.

Mr Agama, director general of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), said that poor access to financial services, capital, and investment opportunities remained a key challenge affecting women’s economic empowerment.

“We believe that women care more about the environment than the men do.

“So there’s a lot of money waiting for sustainable investments, and we believe that it’s women who will drive this.

“So we need to be deliberate about putting finance and putting capital behind women,” he said.

Event highlights included the unveiling of the Give to Gain Empowerment initiative, testimonials from Nigeria for the Women Scale-Up Project, the Renewed Hope WAVE Program 774, and panel discussions on leadership and capital markets.

(NAN)