The inclusion of women in governance, a development necessity – Hadiza Bala Usman

Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, said in Abuja on Wednesday that the inclusion of women in governance and leadership is a development necessity.

Hadiza, who stated this in her address at the 2026 Young Women Leadership Conference (YWLC), said Nigeria’s development aspirations cannot be achieved unless the executive, parliament and public institutions deliberately create opportunities for the empowerment, inclusion and advancement of women leadership across the country.

“Young women’s leadership is not a social courtesy, but a development necessity. National growth depends on how effectively women are equipped to innovate, influence policy and create measurable impacts.

“Government has a responsibility to ensure that inclusion becomes part of the delivery and not an afterthought.

“Parliament and public institutions also have a crucial role in strengthening laws, policies and accountability mechanisms that expand opportunities for women. Legal frameworks are only as powerful as their implementation,” she said.

She condemned discriminatory practices against women in public institutions, citing cases in which female public employees were required to obtain their spouse’s consent before being assigned official housing and policies that denied maternity leave to unmarried women.

“A nation that relies on its women to be able to handle more than it allows them to drive is wasting capacity,” she added.

The third edition of the conference, themed “Innovation, Influence, Impact: Accelerating the Role of Young Women in National Development”, was organized by the Citizenship and Leadership Training Center (CLTC) under the leadership of its Director General, Rinsola Abiola, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, Eagles Foundation for Humanity, Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM Bank), National Science and Engineering Infrastructure Agency (NASENI), Sapphital, African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) Chapter of Nigeria and Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC).

In his welcome speech, Abiola said the initiative reflected the Federal Government’s commitment to the empowerment of youth and women under the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

She noted that since the initiative launched in 2024, more than 1,500 young women have benefited from the leadership, entrepreneurship and mentorship opportunities provided through the program.

According to her, 20 participants selected after the 2025 edition received intensive business and leadership training, along with grants of N500,000 each to scale up their businesses, resulting in business expansion and job creation.

Abiola said the 2026 conference was designed to deepen conversations on leadership, governance, entrepreneurship and technology, while encouraging young women to participate more actively in nation-building.