FADEKEMI AKINFADERIN lists the task ahead of Nigeria’s ambassador to the UN
This weekend, the world marked International Women’s Day. In Nigeria, as in many countries, the occasion was accompanied by celebratory messages, social media graphics, and official statements praising the strength and resilience of women. These moments of recognition are important. Yet they also invite a deeper reflection beyond the symbolism, where governments examine to what extent they are truly advancing women’s rights and equality in practice.
Globally, progress toward gender equality remains far too slow. According to UN Women, no country has yet achieved full legal equality for women and girls. At the current pace, some projections suggest the world could take nearly three centuries to close the gender gap. Nigeria reflects this broader challenge. The country ranks 124th out of 148 countries in the 2025 edition of the Global Gender Gap Index produced by the World Economic Forum. Women remain underrepresented in politics, maternal health indicators remain troubling, gender-based violence persists, and economic opportunities for women continue to lag behind those of men.
At its core, gender equality is a matter of rights and justice. Women and girls are entitled to equal opportunities, autonomy, and protection under the law. But there is also a compelling economic case for advancing gender equality. Evidence consistently shows that countries grow faster and more sustainably when women can participate fully in economic and social life. Research from the World Bank suggests that closing gender gaps in employment, education, and access to services can significantly increase national productivity and economic output. For a country like Nigeria, with its demographic potential and development ambitions, advancing gender equality is therefore not only a moral obligation but also a strategic economic priority.
Nigeria has recognized this in its national policies and has made important progress in recent years. The government has adopted multiple frameworks to improve the lives of women and girls, including sexual and reproductive health and family-planning strategies, gender equality policies, and adolescent health initiatives. These policies acknowledge the importance of gender equality as central to national development. Nigeria is also currently considering measures to strengthen women’s political representation, including proposals to establish dedicated seats for women in the National Assembly as a form of affirmative action, an initiative that reflects growing recognition of the need to address structural barriers to women’s participation in governance.
However, national commitments must be reflected consistently in international engagement.
Each year, governments gather at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, the principal global intergovernmental forum dedicated to gender equality. The negotiated outcomes from this body shape global norms, guide development priorities, and often inform national reforms. What countries support—or oppose—during these negotiations, therefore, carries real weight. This year’s session focused on strengthening access to justice for women and girls, including efforts to remove discriminatory laws and structural barriers. The theme aligns with the global call for “Rights. Justice. Action.” for women and girls everywhere.
Nigeria should naturally be a constructive and credible voice in such discussions.
Yet during much of the negotiation process, Nigeria’s mission to the United Nations took positions that appeared obstructive, joining and at times leading efforts to weaken or block consensus language.
This pattern has surfaced in previous negotiations as well.
What makes this dynamic particularly striking is that many of the contested references are not new. They reflect language that Nigeria has previously accepted in earlier global agreements. In effect, positions taken during negotiations have at times appeared to challenge commitments Nigeria had already endorsed.
The contradiction is difficult to ignore. At home, Nigeria’s policies acknowledge sexual and reproductive health and gender equality as essential components of development, public health, and social progress. Yet during multilateral negotiations, Nigeria’s representatives have sometimes appeared to question or dilute those same commitments.
Thankfully, Nigeria ultimately voted in favor of the final agreed text at this year’s session. That outcome is welcome. But the process that preceded it still raises important questions about policy coherence and coordination.
As you prepare to assume your role as Nigeria’s next Permanent Representative to the United Nations, these questions may merit careful reflection.
With robust national policies already in place, why do Nigeria’s positions in international negotiations sometimes appear misaligned with its own frameworks?
Are Nigeria’s diplomatic positions fully informed by consultations with the technical ministries responsible for these issues, including the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare?
Are they informed by the expertise of advisers working directly with the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu on health and women’s health experts whose work centers on improving outcomes for Nigerian women and girls?
Or do these positions emerge without sufficient coordination across government institutions?
In today’s geopolitical environment, credibility and consistency are invaluable diplomatic assets.
Nigeria cannot convincingly champion gender equality at home while appearing to undermine related commitments abroad. Nor can it fully leverage its leadership potential in global forums if its domestic policies and international positions appear disconnected.
Your tenure presents an opportunity to strengthen coherence between Nigeria’s national priorities and its diplomatic engagement. Aligning Nigeria’s voice at the United Nations with its own development strategies would reinforce both the country’s credibility and its leadership on issues that matter profoundly to its citizens.
Because the stakes are not abstract. They are reflected in the opportunities and futures of Nigerian women and girls, as well as in the broader economic and social progress of the nation.
Even though Nigeria ultimately supported the final outcome this year, the broader question remains: how can Nigeria ensure that its diplomatic engagement consistently reflects the commitments it has already made?
Addressing that question will help ensure that Nigeria’s voice on the global stage matches its ambitions at home.
Akinfaderin is a global health and gender policy expert working on international development and global diplomacy. She writes on gender equality, health systems, and global governance under the platform Make It Make Sense with Kemi.
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