Sulaiman-Ibrahim: INSPIRE Will Turn Gender Policies into ‘Institutional Reality’
The Honourable Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim has charged institutions to move beyond policy documents and make the INSPIRE initiative a “living initiative” that delivers real change for women in the Federal Civil Service.
Speaking at the official launch of INSPIRE in Abuja on Thursday, the Minister said the _Inclusive Network for Supporting Progressive Leadership, Innovation, Reform and Equity for Women_ arrives at “precisely the right moment to drive and sustain momentum” in building a civil service that is inclusive, effective, and responsive.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim noted that while women form a “substantial majority” of the Federal Civil Service workforce, “a candid look at our senior leadership tables tells a very different story. The higher the level of decision-making, the thinner their representation becomes.”
She added: “This is not a coincidence. It is the consequence of a legacy system that has some structural weakness, and it is a gap we can no longer afford.”
Citing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Minister stated: _“The greatest tool for sustainable and scalable transformational development of our nation is the empowerment of our women”_ – a truth she said is “more urgently applicable than within the institutions responsible for governing this nation.”
She highlighted that “women’s economic exclusion costs Nigeria up to 37% loss in productivity,” stressing that Mr President’s vision of a one trillion dollar economy “demands that we act differently.”
Sulaiman-Ibrahim noted that INSPIRE will complement the President’s call for an inclusive and future-ready civil service by creating “pathways for women to assume leadership roles to help address the existing gaps at the top level of the Civil Service.”
The Minister aligned the Imitative with existing frameworks, saying it serves as “a critical vehicle in translating that roadmap into institutional reality” for the _National Gender Policy 2021-2026_ and the _Women’s Economic Empowerment Policy 2023-2028_.
Commending MDAs for strengthening gender desks, she said “the work is far from over” and announced the Ministry’s “full engagement to the successful implementation of INSPIRE,” bringing “policy leadership, technical expertise, and institutional partnerships to bear.”
Sulaiman-Ibrahim outlined four critical actions for institutions, partners, and the private sector: they include full implementation of the six-month maternity leave policy without exception, and establishment of workplace crèches alongside zero-tolerance harassment policies to make room for *dignified, equitable participation of women across all levels of the civil service*.
She further charged them to mainstream gender-responsive budgeting, implement the 30% affirmative procurement policy, and invest deliberately in leadership pipelines for women through mentorship, sponsorship, and succession planning that fast-tracks qualified women into senior roles.
_“The evidence is unambiguous: public institutions deliver better outcomes when they cultivate environments where employees experience dignity, safety, professional fulfilment, and equal access to opportunity,”_ she said.
The Minister listed maternity protection, safe workplaces, childcare support, and mental health as “the foundation of a capable, modern civil service.”
She thanked President Tinubu for his “political will and policy courage,” the First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for her “mentorship” and “passionate advocacy,” and Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, for her “visionary and tireless leadership of this initiative
While also appreciating Permanent Secretaries for ensuring that political will translates into action, and development partners for steadfast technical support, she said
_“Words spoken in conferences like this must become action felt in offices, homes, and communities across Nigeria. INSPIRE must become a living initiative.”
