Theme: Advancing Global Development and Cooperation for Women
Introduction
The recent Beijing Women’s Conference, held on October 13, 2025, reaffirmed the global commitment to advancing the development and empowerment of women. In his address, President Xi Jinping presented four major proposals aimed at promoting women’s progress worldwide. One key focus was on creating an enabling environment for women’s growth and development, a vision that holds significant implications for African nations, particularly Nigeria, where women continue to face systemic barriers to equality and participation despite their growing influence in entrepreneurship and civil society.
At the course of this conference President Xi made four proposals.
Firstly, the fostering of an enabling environment for women’s growth and development. This is to uphold the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and safeguard world peace. Second, the need to jointly cultivate powerful momentum for the high-quality development of women’s cause. We should proactively address the imbalance and inadequacy of women’s development around the world, and enable all women to share the benefits of economic globalization. Third, we should jointly develop governance frameworks to protect women’s rights and interests. According to him we need to improve institutions and laws, channel more quality health and educational resources to all women, and strive to afford all women full and equal enjoyment of various rights. Fourth, we should jointly write a new chapter in promoting global cooperation on women.
An overview of these proposals in correspondence with the reality of Africa, specifically Nigeria are to be strongly debated considering the actors playing a role in the productivity and development of the country. This is to emphasize that across Africa, and especially in Nigeria, women remain underrepresented in political and decision-making spaces. Although women’s wings exist in most political parties, they are often symbolically restricted to organizing welfare or mobilization activities rather than influencing substantive policy decisions. In Nigeria’s political structure, high-level leadership roles such as National Chairperson or Secretary-General remain overwhelmingly dominated by men. Female aspirants often face cultural stereotypes, internal party bias, or pressure to withdraw during primaries and selection processes. This entrenched perception that “men are better leaders” continues to hinder women’s advancement.
For context, Nigeria currently has only four female senators out of 109 and sixteen women in a 360-member House of Representatives, while fourteen states have no female legislators at all. In contrast, nations like Rwanda and South Africa have set global standards by achieving over 40% female representation in parliament, demonstrating that with political will and policy support, gender balance in governance is achievable. The Nigerian experience stands in stark contrast to countries such as the United Kingdom, which has thrived under the leadership of women, most notably the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Elizabeth II, whose governance brought stability, reform, and respect worldwide. Nigeria’s democracy, too, could benefit from harnessing the full potential of women’s leadership.
Women in Nigeria continue to face institutionalized discrimination within legal and judicial systems. In several states, inheritance laws favor male relatives, denying women their rightful claims to property. Additionally, gender-based violence including domestic abuse and marital rape remains underreported and inadequately prosecuted. A notable example was the 2023 suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan following her sexual harassment allegation against Senate President Godswill Akpabio. Rather than ensuring an impartial investigation, the case was referred to an internal ethics committee composed largely of the respondent’s allies and was ultimately dismissed not to mention the most recent underage sexual abuse of late Miss. Ochanya by her relatives (father and son) for six years. Such incidents expose the persistent patriarchal structures that undermine justice for women in Nigeria. This situation contrasts sharply with the Chinese model, where President Xi emphasized that women “hold up half the sky,” underscoring their integral role in economic and social development. The Nigerian government can draw lessons from China’s structured, rights-based approach to women’s empowerment, which emphasizes inclusion, legal protection, and leadership development.
Workplace sexism and exclusion from decision-making roles continue to suppress women’s professional advancement in Nigeria. Many women face glass ceilings, unequal pay, or outright dismissal of complaints regarding harassment or discrimination. This has created an environment hostile to women’s growth, weakening the country’s human capital potential. According to President Xi’s second proposal the joint cultivation of high-quality women’s development progress must be driven through shared learning and inclusive governance. Nigeria must seize this opportunity to align national frameworks with these international principles by enacting stronger workplace equality laws, supporting mentorship programs for women, and incentivizing organizations that promote gender-balanced leadership.
The third proposal from the Beijing Conference called for the joint development of governance frameworks to safeguard women’s rights and interests. In Nigeria, however, such frameworks remain fragmented or unenforced. Women in rural areas often engage in hard labor and informal trade without institutional support, recognition, or access to financial resources. To bridge this gap, Nigeria must establish state-level Women’s Development Commissions that collaborate with international partners such as UN Women and the China–Africa Cooperation Forum to design practical interventions addressing women’s economic and social needs.
All these challenges has highlighted the loopholes and flaws that should be quickly addressed, significant steps that should be adopted according to the new initiatives which president Xi Jinping equally announced at the global conference, these includes
- A US$10 million donation to UN Women over the next five years.
- A US$100 million allocation from China’s Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund to support women-focused projects in collaboration with international organizations.
- The launch of 1,000 small-scale livelihood programs prioritizing women and girls.
- The invitation of 50,000 women to China for exchange and training programs.
The establishment of a Global Center for Women’s Capacity Building, dedicated to equipping women with leadership, technical, and entrepreneurial skills.
For Nigeria, these initiatives represent an extraordinary opportunity to strengthen its women’s development agenda through partnerships, capacity-building exchanges, and direct project funding. To ensure that these opportunities translate into measurable progress, the Nigerian government should prioritize the effective Utilization of Funds. The establishment of transparent mechanisms to access and manage international funding targeted at women’s initiatives. A multi-stakeholder monitoring committee should oversee fund allocation to ensure that resources reach grassroots beneficiaries. Additionally, Affordability and Accessibility to this funds should equally be paramount, this can be made evident through the organization of state-wide sensitization seminars to publicize available programs especially targeting women in remote communities with limited internet access. However, Participation costs should remain affordable, ensuring inclusion regardless of socio-economic background. The government with the goal of success should develop a national reintegration plan for women who undergo international training which is in line with invitation of 50,000 women to China for exchange and training programs. This could include placements in startups, mentorship roles, or community-based training centers to multiply the impact of acquired skills. Subsequently, women’s groups and local leaders must be engaged to identify priority sectors for investment such as agriculture, technology, education, and healthcare ensuring that interventions address real needs rather than generic goal. Lastly, the creation of an independent Women’s Development Oversight Council to track progress, ensure transparency, and maintain communication between beneficiaries and government bodies.
Conclusion
As Mr. Charles Onunaiju, Director of the Centre for China Studies, aptly noted, “Opportunities, when utilized properly, translate into advantage.” Too often in Nigeria, promising initiatives end with ceremonial signings, photo opportunities, and eloquent speeches that fail to reach the people most in need particularly women. To make the Beijing Women’s Conference outcomes truly meaningful for Nigeria, the government must take immediate and deliberate action: mobilize awareness, eliminate excessive bureaucracy, and implement results-oriented programs. Only through genuine commitment can Nigeria ensure that its women not just in urban centers but also in the most remote communities become active beneficiaries and contributors to national development. Nigeria must fully harness and benefit from President Xi Jinping’s proposals through Empowering women to build empowered nations to further strengthen their bilateral relationship.
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