Nigeria’s failure to integrate women and girls into education, healthcare, finance and the labour market is limiting its productive capacity and reducing the pool of talent, entrepreneurs and consumers in the economy, stakeholders have said.
They spoke at the 2026 Gender and Inclusion Summit and National Dialogue on Transforming Gender Norms for Adolescent Health and Wellbeing in Abuja, where policymakers and development stakeholders called for a shift from gender policy commitments to measurable outcomes.
The summit, organised by the Policy Innovation Centre in partnership with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, was held under the theme, “From Agenda to Action: Making Innovations Count for the Last Mile.”
Now in its fifth edition, the summit brought together policymakers, development partners, researchers, private-sector representatives, civil society organisations, traditional and faith leaders, and young people to examine barriers to inclusion.
Stakeholders said gender norms continue to influence access to education, healthcare and economic opportunities, limiting the participation of women and girls in the economy.
