Women and stakeholders have urged young girls to build practical skills overcome limiting beliefs and take on leadership roles to contribute to community and national development.
They made the call at the Rise Up Conference 2026 organised by The Healthy African Girl Foundation (THAG) in Abuja on Saturday.
The conference themed ‘The Soft Power Woman: Harness Your Strengths Build Your Capacity and Take Your Place’ brought together students young women and advocates to discuss girls’ education entrepreneurship and leadership.
THAG founder and conference convener Dr Chinekwu Oreh said limiting beliefs often prevented young women from realising their potential.
Oreh said the conference was designed to help African women aged 16 to 35 identify their strengths address gaps in their knowledge and skills and take deliberate steps towards personal and professional development.
She said women should not wait for opportunities to be handed to them but should develop their abilities and use available resources to create value in their communities.
Oreh also called for collective efforts to address the growing challenge of out-of-school girls in Nigeria saying government alone could not tackle the problem.
She identified community leaders civil society organisations and volunteers as critical to changing attitudes towards girls’ education and improving human capital development.
‘Together everybody achieves more’ she said urging stakeholders to contribute to girls’ empowerment within their respective communities.
She added that the foundation used peer interventions community volunteers and campus ambassadors to reach more young women.
A student participant and Head Girl of Chrisland High School Apo Abuja Chikwendu Afunnaya said the conference’s accomplished women encouraged her to stay focused and persevere despite challenges.
Afunnaya said her leadership experience had contributed to her personal growth adding that girls should recognise their strengths and remain committed to their ambitions.
Another participant Eka Towumi of Nigerian Tulip International Colleges said young people interested in entrepreneurship should develop their ideas and take action rather than wait for perfect conditions.
Towumi advised aspiring entrepreneurs to understand their proposed businesses and develop clear plans before seeking financial support.
Similarly Achimugu Sharon Queen of Notre Dame Girls Academy Kuje Abuja urged girls to act on their ideas.
Those seeking support should be able to explain their proposals intended outcomes and reasons for pursuing them.
She also called on individuals and communities to support out-of-school girls rather than leave the responsibility entirely to government.
Queen said she hoped to become a lawyer and entrepreneur to defend girls’ rights and create opportunities for other young women.
The Programme Officer Intern at THAG Susanna Oguaba also urged young women to use available resources including social media and artificial intelligence to develop their ideas and create opportunities.
Oguaba a nutritionist and founder of the Diet 24/7 Initiative said young women could discover new opportunities by taking the first steps towards their goals.
She called on the government to support organisations that empower girls through mentorship funding and access to opportunities.
According to her many young African women have innovative ideas but struggle to realise them because of financial constraints and difficult environments.
Oguaba said collaboration among government private organisations and non-profit groups would help young women translate their ideas into practical initiatives.
Loom Craft Chocolate founder Uzomaka Igweike said conferences such as Rise Up were important for addressing practical skills and knowledge gaps that formal education might not adequately cover.
Igweike said while schools taught subjects such as mathematics science and English young people often lacked practical guidance on entrepreneurship building confidence and using available resources to create value.
She identified low confidence and unequal access to opportunities as major barriers facing girls and women.
Igweike said empowerment should go beyond motivation to include building competence character and knowledge alongside creating opportunities for young women to develop their abilities.
She added that cultural barriers to girls’ education require sustained community engagement and grassroots education noting that government policies alone may not be enough to change entrenched attitudes.
The speakers urged young women to support one another pursue entrepreneurship and leadership opportunities and take practical steps towards addressing challenges in their