Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, minister of women affairs, has announced plans to revive the national electronic dashboard, aimed at providing comprehensive data to address gender-based violence (GBV).

She made this known during a media briefing to launch the 2025 International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration, themed “Accelerate Action,” on Thursday in Abuja.

Mrs Sulaiman-Ibrahim highlighted the challenges faced by women and girls, noting that, for the first time in the ministry’s 30-year history, the President significantly increased its budget.

“This reflects the government’s strong commitment to women’s empowerment.

“With these increased resources, we will prioritise the revitalisation of the Ministry’s legacy project, the National Electronic Dashboard, launched in collaboration with the European Union-United Nations (EU-UN) Spotlight Initiative in November 2020.

“The dashboard will provide essential data to help combat GBV and will support the work of the inter-ministerial technical committee on GBV,” she said.

The minister also shared plans to expand programmes focused on women’s economic empowerment, digital skills acquisition for girls, family cohesion initiatives, child protection, and participation.

Additionally, she emphasised unlocking new opportunities for women through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Mrs Sulaiman-Ibrahim noted that the ministry would focus on legislative advocacy, empowering women economically, supporting girls’ education, and continuing the fight against GBV.

Regarding Nigeria’s progress in gender equality, she said, “While Nigeria has made significant strides with gender-responsive laws such as the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP) and the Child Rights Act, full implementation remains a challenge.”

She further pointed out that 35 states had domesticated the VAPP Act, and 34 states had adopted the Child Rights Act, though full compliance and enforcement remained critical.

The minister also acknowledged that women were a driving force behind Nigeria’s informal economy, owning 41 per cent of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

However, she noted that challenges such as access to finance, markets, and digital literacy hindered the scaling of these businesses.

“To address this, 4.5 million women will be supported to bridge these gaps, with skills development for 500,000 women under the MOWA-SARA initiative, supported by WEMA Bank.”

On political representation, Mrs Sulaiman-Ibrahim highlighted the gender imbalance in the 10th National Assembly, where only four out of 109 Senators and 17 out of 360 House of Representatives members were women.

Fifteen states lacked female representation, which, according to her, was not reflective of a progressive democracy.

“We must accelerate efforts toward political inclusion, ensuring women have a seat at the table in governance and development,” she stressed.

The minister urged Nigerians to strengthen their commitment to overcoming the challenges that hinder Nigerian women and girls from reaching their full potential.

(NAN)