This week in London, I was delighted to accept the invitation of my dear friend Cherie Blair CBE KC to attend a high-level ministerial dialogue on advancing women’s economic empowerment in Nigeria, convened by the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, the LabourAfricanNetwork, and The Osahon Okunbo Foundation.

The session opened with remarks by Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, signalling clear UK–Nigeria political commitment to advancing women’s economic opportunity as a core development priority. The dialogue, expertly moderated by Dr Yvonne Thompson CBE Wintrade, featured a fireside conversation led by Dr Anino Emuwa between Honourable Minister Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, HM Women Affairs and Cherie, where I listened with interest as the Honourable Minister set out her strategic priorities for strengthening the enabling environment for women-led enterprises. I also valued the goodwill message delivered by HE Olori Atuwatse III, reinforcing the importance of collective leadership in advancing women’s economic inclusion.

Taking place in the lead-up to the historic Nigeria–United Kingdom State Visit, the first in 37 years, this convening heralded the introduction of the #SheThrives initiative, a collaborative effort to expand women’s access to skills, markets, finance, digital tools and networks, alongside supportive policy frameworks, marking a shift towards more integrated, partnership-driven approaches to addressing the structural barriers women entrepreneurs continue to face.

At The Wellbeing Foundation Africa, we recognise that women’s economic participation is fundamental to inclusive growth, national development and long-term prosperity, and we look forward to continued collaboration to ensure that policy ambition translates into sustained, measurable impact for women in Nigeria and across Africa.

 

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