The Policy Innovation Centre, in partnership with Co-Impact, held a Stakeholder Roundtable in Lagos on Friday, November 8, focused on advancing women’s leadership in Nigeria’s economic landscape.
The event gathered key figures from government, civil society, and the private sector, including Mrs. Shyllon Olufunke, Director of Lagos State Women Affairs, and Prof. Adeola Adenikinju, President of the Nigerian Economic Society.
They reviewed the Policy Innovation Centre’s latest research on the challenges and opportunities for women in economic leadership, discussing policy reforms to strengthen their role in this sector.
Gladys Onyango, Associate Director of Programs for Africa at Co-Impact, opened the session by highlighting Nigerian women’s significant contributions to the economy.
She expressed appreciation for the Policy Innovation Centre’s efforts in organizing the event and commended the collective push to dismantle institutional barriers that hinder women from advancing and leading in economic roles.
“Together, we can create a future where women’s leadership in economics is not the exception but the norm,” She added.
Mrs. Shyllon Olufunke, Director of Lagos State Women Affairs, called on stakeholders to recognise challenges faced by women with disabilities in their efforts to advance gender equality.
She acknowledged the progress made by the public sector through various interventions but stressed that there is still much more to be done.
“Women are making strides,” she remarked, highlighting the continued need for collective action to ensure women are steadily advancing in the economic sector.
“In Nigeria, no woman has ever headed the Central Bank since 1999,” Prof. Adeola Adenikinju, President of the Nigerian Economic Society, stated in his keynote address.
He pointed out that while 50% of the Ministry of Finance leaders have been women, only one woman has served as Chief Economic Adviser to the President.
He called for the urgent need for policy reforms to address these barriers and increase female representation in economic leadership.
Read Also: Firm wins double at tech innovation awards
He also encouraged women in leadership positions to support and mentor younger women to ensure a more inclusive future for the economic sector.
Key findings presented by Dr. Mary Jimoh, Gender Research Specialist at the Policy Innovation Centre, highlighted several critical barriers to women’s economic leadership in Nigeria.
She noted that societal expectations, gender roles, workplace stereotypes, and the abyssmal implementation of gender policies continue to limit women’s advancement in Economic Leadership.
“Women in Nigeria are powerful agents of economic transformation,” Dr. Jimoh emphasised, “but they require an environment that not only recognizes their potential but actively facilitates their path to leadership.”
Recommendations from the study included facilitating peer mentoring and networking opportunities to enable knowledge-sharing and support among women at similar career stages.
At the policy level, it called for platforms like the Nigerian Economic Society and the Nigerian University Council to mandate the implementation of gender-equitable policies within organisations in Nigeria.
The panel discussions at the roundtable shared more insights into existing gender policies and discussed gaps in their implementation.
They collectively underscored a strategic approach to advancing women’s economic leadership across all career levels.
Stakeholders agreed on the need for tailored initiatives, from mentorship and training programs at entry levels to organisational policies supporting work-life balance at mid-career stages.
At senior levels, they highlighted the role of mentorship networks and advocacy, with seasoned women leaders actively lobbying for policy reforms that support inclusive leadership, creating an inclusive path for more women to assume high-level economic roles.
The Policy Innovation Centre (PIC) is the first national institutionalized behavioral initiative in Africa supporting government and stakeholders to make behaviorally informed decisions and generate evidence for impact driven interventions in critical thematic areas.
The PIC is an initiative of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG), a leading think tank in Africa redefining evidence-based policy advocacy.
This roundtable is part of the Policy Innovation Centre’s ongoing efforts to create impactful, evidence-based solutions to advance gender equity and social inclusion.