Speaking at a high-level United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) side event organised by Vivacity Development, Nigeria’s Federal Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, issued a strong call for unified execution systems between government, private sector leaders and development partners to build accessible pathways for women and young girls across high-value sectors.
Addressing diplomats, global investors and civil society leaders, Minister Sulaiman-Ibrahim stressed that economic empowerment requires moving beyond viewing women as passive beneficiaries of social programmes.
Instead, stakeholders must establish clear entry points that enable women to participate as fabricators, owners and critical leaders across key value chains, including technology, artificial intelligence, fintech and clean energy.
‘We have to put heads together-the government and practitioners-to provide various pathways and entry points for women,’ stated Minister Sulaiman-Ibrahim.
‘Women should not only be beneficiaries of initiatives like clean cooking; they must be empowered to fabricate the technology, own the local skills and access multi-million-dollar credit tools to build real economic power.’
Highlighting national policy momentum under the Renewed Hope Agenda, the Minister pointed to the 35% Affirmative Procurement Policy, which mandates that over a third of public procurement contracts be reserved for women-owned and women-led enterprises.
Opening the session, Engr. Oluwakemi Ann-Melody Areola, Convener and CEO of Vivacity Development, emphasised the urgency of structural collaboration in preparing Africa’s next generation for the global economy.
‘Building sustainable economic mobility requires more than isolated interventions; it demands intentional alignment between government policy, private capital and practical skills development.
‘Our goal through this platform is to ensure young women and youth are not just included in the conversation, but are equipped to compete and lead in the global marketplace.’
The Minister reinforced that while government creates supportive policy frameworks and financial access mechanisms, private sector captains and practitioners are essential to scaling these solutions effectively.
About Vivacity Development
Vivacity Development is a global social enterprise and development practice dedicated to bridging the gap between raw talent, global institutional capital and market access.
Driven by a mission to democratise access to future-ready skills, close critical industry competency gaps and build sustainable economic mobility corridors across Africa, Vivacity Development creates research-driven interventions and strategic platforms that connect local potential with international opportunity.