By Justina Auta
Hadiza Bala-Usman, Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, has urged the executive, legislature and public institutions to promote women’s inclusion and leadership to achieve Nigeria’s development goals.
Bala-Usman made the call while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Young Women’s Leadership Conference (YWLC) on Wednesday in Abuja.
The third edition of the conference, themed “Innovate, Influence, Impact: Accelerating Young Women’s Roles in National Development,” was organised by the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre (CLTC).
The event was held in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, Eagles Foundation for Humanity, the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM Bank), and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), among others.
She described the leadership of young women as “not a social courtesy, but a development necessity,” emphasising that national growth depended on how effectively women were equipped to innovate, influence policy and create measurable impact.
According to her, government has a responsibility to ensure inclusion becomes “part of delivery and not an afterthought” through gender-responsive planning and budgeting, safer schools and stronger community protection systems.
She added that improved implementation of protection policies, expanded access to skills acquisition and enterprise support, and deliberate pathways for women would strengthen 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.
Bala-Usman also condemned discriminatory practices against women in public institutions, citing cases where female public servants required spousal consent before receiving official housing allocations and policies denying maternity leave to 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.
Rinsola Abiola, Director-General of CLTC, said the initiative reflected the Federal Government’s commitment to youth and women empowerment under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Abiola said that since the initiative was inaugurated in 2024, more than 1,500 young women had benefited from leadership, entrepreneurship and mentorship opportunities provided through the programme.
She revealed that 20 participants selected after the 2025 edition received intensive business and leadership training alongside grants of N500,000 each to scale their businesses, resulting in expansion and job creation.
According to her, the 2026 conference was designed to deepen discussions around leadership, governance, entrepreneurship and technology while encouraging young women to participate actively in nation-building.
Also speaking, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, urged women to prioritise competence, hard work and professionalism over appearances.
She encouraged young women to participate actively in politics and public service while calling for stronger mentorship platforms to support women seeking leadership positions.
The event featured panel sessions with prominent women in governance, business and technology and concluded with the signing of a partnership agreement between CLTC and the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) Nigeria Chapter.
The agreement, signed by Abiola and Zainab Abdurrasheed, aims to implement inter-generational mentorship programmes for successive cohorts of young women to strengthen civic awareness and leadership development ahead of future conferences.(NAN)
Edited by Abiemwense Moru
