If women don’t belong in politics, agriculture, education, finance, tech, health, or development, where do we belong?

Over the past few decades, concerted efforts have been made to improve women’s participation in various sectors of the economy, including education, finance, health, and politics. Significant progress has been achieved in telling a simple story—Women are whole individuals, not property to be owned. However, the statistics tell a sobering tale of how far we still have to go—not just in participation but also in representation.

Women are inherently industrious and natural protectors. How, then, have they come to be part of the marginalised groups across the globe?

According to the National Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy Plan, 70% of women in Nigeria live in poverty. Women constitute 70-80% of the agricultural labour, yet only 10% are landowners. That’s not all. Only one in five board members of companies listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange are women. These figures highlight the systemic barriers that continue to impede progress.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) stated in 2021 that by the end of the year, the bank will provide nearly $500 million, of which $150 million will be used for African agricultural women. This was supposed to translate to more job opportunities and wealth creation for women, but it’s almost the opposite of what was intended.

Ideally, nature should not require such a relentless push to take its course. Restructuring society to acknowledge women as individuals and integral parts of every system should not be such an uphill battle—unless the current systems are inherently unnatural.

Yet, the budget remains far from being gender-responsive. Femicide rates continue to rise, with little to no justice served. Laws affecting women are often made and debated by men, and in 2025, child marriage persists as a grim reality. These challenges underscore the urgent need for a systemic, scratch that— a  DRASTIC change.

This urgency has spurred the rise of policies and systems promoting women’s education and empowerment. As a ‘pro-women’ individual, I am committed to leveraging every available platform to champion the radical idea that women are distinct, autonomous entities deserving of equal representation and opportunities.

In 2024, Tracka launched an initiative, “Governance for Women by Women (GFWBW),” to increase women’s participation in governance. This initiative empowers women in local communities to engage actively in civic education and governance. By fostering collaboration among women’s groups, it has driven efforts toward community development and amplified women’s voices in decision-making processes. 

According to Premium Times Ng, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu pledged to increase the representation of women in his administration. According to him, women would constitute 35% of all appointments, but when the time came, he only appointed eight women to a 48-member cabinet. You can tell there was no deliberate effort.

The GFWBW initiative by Tracka is an attempt to increase women’s political involvement across the nation.

Recommendations: What should be done?

To address these challenges effectively, key stakeholders must take strategic actions.

• Government: Implement gender-responsive budgeting, enforce stricter penalties for gender-based violence, and ensure women have equal access to land, finance, and leadership opportunities. Empower the information ministry to effectively communicate beneficial women’s policies to the populace so that many women can key themselves into such. 
• Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) should advocate for policy implementation, provide grassroots education on women’s rights, and create safe spaces for women to organise and demand representation.
• The Media should drive awareness campaigns against gender discrimination, highlight success stories of women in leadership, and hold policymakers accountable for gender-related commitments. They should also effectively communicate the existing policy to the public.

Looking ahead, the Governance for Women by Women project plans to expand its reach by:

• Strengthening women’s leadership training in local communities.
• Establishing mentorship programs connecting young women with experienced female leaders.
• Collaborating with policymakers to ensure women’s concerns are reflected in governance decisions.
• Increasing civic education efforts to encourage more women to engage actively in governance and policy advocacy.

While these efforts are promising, they prompt critical questions: How long will it take to move the needle significantly? How long before hostile practices like child marriage and femicide are eradicated? How long until we achieve true gender equality, where women are fully represented, educated, and empowered?

The journey may be long, but each step forward brings us closer to a society where gender equality is not just an aspiration but a reality. The fight continues, and our commitment to systemic (or drastic) change must remain unwavering in hopes that policies do not end on paper but are passed into actionable structures.