We cannot build Nigeria, Africa of our dream without women — Shettima

Vice President Kashim Shettima has declared that women will be at the forefront of Africa’s projected $29 trillion economic transformation, adding that the government cannot build the Nigeria it envisioned without fully integrating women into the economic systems.

The vice president, who said women are not just participants in the economy of the country, but leaders, innovators and the bedrock of sustainable development, expressed the conviction that gender inclusion is a cornerstone of Nigeria’s national development agenda.

Shettima stated this at the banquet hall of the Presidential Villa on Thursday in Abuja when he declared open the 2025 Gender Inclusion Conference and launched Project #SheIsIncluded to bridge gender gaps in finance and the broader economy.

The conference is with the theme, ‘Breaking Barriers, Building Resilience for Sustainable Women’s Economic and Financial Inclusion’.

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He said, “We cannot build the Nigeria or Africa we envision without fully integrating women into our economic systems. Women are not just participants in our economy; they are leaders, innovators, and the bedrock of sustainable development.”

Shettima said Project #SheIsIncluded is built on four key pillars – education and financial literacy, maternal healthcare, gender-sensitive policies and programmes, and expanded economic opportunities for women.

He also announced that the initiative will reach all 774 local government areas across Nigeria to ensure that no woman is left behind.

“Our commitment to gender inclusion is not a cosmetic performance to placate the sensibilities of progressives; it is a fundamental pillar of our national development agenda. We are not just assuring the women of Nigeria of their place in our collective journey—we are creating the pathways for them to lead the charge,” Shettima said.

In her remarks, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, said the conference was an important milestone in the collective effort to outline ways of breaking barriers to empowering women and promoting inclusion.

She said gender inclusion was a key enabler of sustainable development and central to addressing poverty and fostering economic growth, noting that it should translate into financial independence, wealth creation and leadership development for women across different sectors.

On her part, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim, said the conference offers a unique opportunity to strengthen strategic frameworks for dismantling all barriers towards the actualisation of all women empowerment programmes and initiatives.

This is even as Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State said the goals of the conference aligned with the agenda of the state government on gender and economic inclusion, targeting women and vulnerable groups through the Kaduna State policy on women empowerment.

On his part, Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi, said given the position of women in society, empowering them is an imperative and a step in the right direction that must be sustained, declaring that Jigawa in realisation of this great potential has placed itself as a champion and model for women empowerment in Nigeria.