“Empowerment is not a trend, it’s a lifestyle- Anonymous”
As usual, this year’s celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD) has come and gone with it’s frenzy and flurry of activities in every sphere of women’s endeavour. With the theme, Accelerate Action, it is a call for action to achieve gender equality and a feminist future and also to empower the next generation of women and girls to be catalysts for change. Global activities abound in celebration of women’s resilience, strength, courage and achievement. Most significantly, it is also meant to mark the 30th anniversary of the Beijing conference. The Beijing Declaration was adopted in 1995 at the Fourth World Conference on Women. It brought together representatives from 181 countries to address issues related to gender equality, women’s empowerment, and the advancement of women globally. The conference resulted in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a comprehensive policy agenda for the empowerment of women.It is pertinent to point out that the goals of the Beijing Declaration are to promote gender equality, fight for the rights of women and girls, to balance power structures so that everyone has an equal chance and to ensure women’s equal participation in decision-making
It was a defining moment for gender equality globally, and its impact on Nigerian women has been both significant and complex across different spheres. In the light of this, instead of propagating exact ideals of the declaration and push for action towards realization of the set goals, there have been serious misinterpretations of the Beijing Conference by the feminine gender due to wrong narratives and Western influences. This deviation has indirectly shifted the initial goals and brought complexities into the whole conversation.
As the 2025 International Women’s Day celebration continues, Daily Sun looks at the misrepresentations, triumphs and what is left to be done, three decades after the Beijing conference declaration.
Women’s Views
For Amarachi Ubani, of Channels Television, never before have women and women’s issues received as much attention as after the Beijing conference of 1995. But, some women, being overly ambitious about the platform of action, have interpreted women’s rights with equality with men.
“I feel the Beijing conference was aimed at equity. Meaning that as there are rights accruable to the menfolk, there are rights accruable to the women, and they must be respected, not placed above the other gender. A woman’s right to pursue the highest ambition should not be done in comparison to a man, but should be looked at in the context of her ability and qualifications. The Beijing conference was not aimed at saying ‘what a man can do, so can a woman’s but on women can have dreams, and ambitions, which should not be seen as a threat to anyone.”
Veronica Ngozi Osokoya
The convergence of women, especially African women at the Beijing conference was truly not an African affair. It was more of up scaled celebration of feminism for western females seeking radical liberation from their men and society. For most of Africa and especially, Nigeria, all the noise by the movers and shakers was just a mere bluster as minimal impact is only visible and felt in areas that females can be relevant. Women in politics have not changed much as the conference which was meant to change the narratives where women are meant to enjoy gender parity has not delivered on these expectations. Non of the political parties in Nigeria has meritoriously favoured women involvement. We have only recorded some advancement in area of women entrepreneurship. This seeming success is self-empowerment or spousal funding leading to some women in Nigeria being stressed while fending for their families in a bit to justify the capability to manage a husband funded business or break even securing their financial investments . This insignificant portion of female entrepreneurs in Nigeria isn’t encouraging. Nigeria women through self- help have found strength from unions and groups to strategically prioritize women’s economic empowerment without government support.
The area of Girl child education is growing but, there are spatial and regional differences with very little progress in the North. One wonders if Beijing Conference was an ill wind. It hasn’t impacted as much as was expected.
The areas Nigerian women are recognized is in the religious cycles where they also don’t lead except as the wives of General overseers …a second fiddle position. One wonders why in Nigeria, the Beijing Declaration which is globally considered as an agenda for women’s empowerment isn’t yielding any recognition. When Nigerian women refer to it, our culture and government step it down with threats and ridiculous mockery. What then are the resolutions? Why did the government sponsor women if none of the resolutions are in place? 30 years is here but we are still lost as all creativity by women are being stifled. Until Nigeria gives women their rightful space in politics and governance, we remain buried.
Dr Kaiza, Lecturer, DOU, Asaba
The Beijing Conference has greatly increased public awareness of the issues surrounding women’s rights and political participation. Following the summit, the Nigerian government established federal and state-level organizations devoted to advancing gender equality and issues impacting women. Nigerian women’s political participation has increased as a result of the Beijing Conference, although sluggishly and unevenly because of poverty, a lack of money, violence against women in politics, cultural and traditional hurdles, and underrepresentation of women in political parties.
Although the Beijing conference was a milestone in the fight for gender equality, Nigerian women have seen a number of negative effects from it. In order to safeguard and advance women’s rights in Nigeria, the government has yet to properly convert international agreements into workable laws or policies. Nigeria continues to face a serious problem with violence against women. Despite their political and economic frustration, Nigerian women have persisted with the support of nongovernmental organizations, foreign organizations, and civil society groups in the hopes that the government will eventually implement its Beijing Conference commitment.
Mrs. Omoregie, Computer analyst
The Beijing conference ushered in unprecedented growth in women development but I believe that noise about empowerment and equality for women is being taken out of proportion. I would have thought that we would be talking about equity, justice and fairness for women in all spheres. First, we are humans before the issue of gender comes in. What we do or how we do things shouldn’t be defined by our gender. I must confess that all these about gender inequality have led to rhetoric without sufficient action. The gap between policy and practice has therefore, remained evident in many contexts.
Part of the misconception from the Beijing conference in some African regions is cultural resistance. Evidently, today, the emphasis on gender equality has led to misinterpretations that feminists were trying to undermine traditional values and family structures. This has led to attack on traditional African family values with a perceived “war from the women with their big spoons”
In Nigeria here, we have also seen that the result of the conference’s agenda and subsequent policies have been dominated by Western perspectives on feminism, which runs riot against the needs and circumstances of the women in our clime.
This narrative is completely wrong and is gradually destroying the fabric of what our values were built on. The real meaning of feminism has been completely misinterpreted.
Professor Chiso Ndukwe- Okafor, women/consumer advocate
One of the key outcomes of Beijing was the push for women’s economic empowerment. Over the years: Financial inclusion initiatives have expanded, but women—especially those in rural and marginalized communities—continue to face barriers to accessing formal banking and credit. CADEF’s advocacy emphasizes bridging this gap, ensuring financial policies prioritize women’s unique needs.
Women’s entrepreneurship has seen more institutional support, yet many remain in the informal economy with limited consumer protections and economic security. Through our work at CADEF, we champion consumer rights and fair financial practices to create an enabling environment for women-led businesses.
Digital inclusion is a growing frontier, but women are still disproportionately affected by cyber fraud and digital illiteracy. This underscores the need for policies that protect and empower female consumers in the evolving digital economy.
Bridging the Policy-Practice Gap
While Nigeria has made legal strides—such as the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP) 2015 and the National Gender Policy (2006)—many gender-focused policies remain underfunded or poorly implemented. Advocacy organizations like CADEF continue to push for stronger enforcement and consumer-friendly policies that protect and empower women across economic and social spheres.
Addressing New and Emerging Challenges
Financial consumer protection: Women face unique challenges, from unfair lending practices to fraud in digital financial transactions. CADEF actively works with regulators to strengthen consumer protection policies that benefit women.
Digital access and cybersecurity: As digital platforms become essential for financial transactions, there is an urgent need to ensure women are equipped with the knowledge and tools to navigate them safely—one of the key focus areas of CADEF’s recent cybersecurity and fraud prevention training for women.
Gendered economic vulnerability: Structural barriers still limit women’s full participation in the economy. The Beijing commitments must be re-evaluated in today’s context to ensure they address contemporary issues such as the digital economy, financial resilience, and consumer protection.
Moving Forward: The Role of Advocacy
The 30th anniversary of the Beijing Conference is a call to action. It’s a reminder that while progress has been made, we must continue to push for systemic changes that translate policies into tangible benefits for Nigerian women. At CADEF, we remain committed to ensuring women’s economic empowerment, digital financial literacy, and consumer rights remain at the forefront of national conversations and policymaking.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, let’s reaffirm our commitment to bridging the gaps and making financial inclusion and consumer protection work for every Nigerian woman.
Jackie Opara Fatoye, Foreign Journalist, “I believe the Beijing Conference has had a significant impact on Nigerian women. I grew up hearing my mother speak about the conference, at a point was used to shame ambitious women – but it spurred women to do more. Politically, there has been increased awareness and efforts to promote women’s participation in politics, although women are still underrepresented in Nigerian politics.
We have also seen some policy reforms and legislation that promote gender equality.
The big winner from the conference would be that we have seen how older women have continuously passed on knowledge and economic empowerment to young women, their daughters, and sisters. We have seen initiatives such as microfinance programs and vocational training have implemented to support women’s economic development.
Though, despite these efforts, women in Nigeria still face significant economic challenges, including limited access to credit and markets compared to earlier, there has been good improvement. In terms of gender equality, I think the Beijing Conference has been a catalyst for activism and advocacy in Nigeria. I think one of the strongest negative narratives and influences is that the conference pushed for a Western agenda. Additionally, the conference’s emphasis on women’s empowerment has sometimes been interpreted as neglecting the needs and perspectives of men, leading to a sense of resentment and exclusion among some men. I must emphasize that over the years we have seen the growth of women, economically, and politically but It is not yet ‘Uhuru’ as there is still much work to be done to address the persistent challenges and negative narratives that remain
And as a Journalist, I have seen women taking up space and owning it – like I said earlier, more needs to be done.
Lanre Abudu, energy expert
By kick starting the important conversations around gender equality and the empowerment of women, the Beijing Conference played a big role in helping us to establish a framework for success. It reinforced the importance of continued advocacy; it placed a strong emphasis on increasing women’s participation in politics.
Thirty years later, despite the many socio-economic improvements, we have underachieved in ensuring a gender-balanced parliament, less than 1% in the House of Representatives and under 3% in the Senate. if women are not involved in decision-making roles, how can we be assured of a voice as half of global population?
‘Accelerate Action’ as this year’s International Women’s Day theme is a reminder that we must increase efforts in those areas where there has been little traction; we mustn’t sit back. The time to act is always NOW. Collective action will ultimately yield fruit.
Ezinne Kufre Ekanem, entrepreneur -The Beijing Conference remains a landmark event in the history of women’s rights. Its triumphs have provided a foundation for ongoing advocacy and policy development, while its misinterpretations highlight the complexities and challenges in achieving meaningful gender equality. Ongoing dialogue, commitment, and action remain essential for advancing the goals outlined in 1995 and addressing the evolving needs of women globally. And despite the recognition of the importance of gender equality, the world is still falling short in its promise to women and girls. Only 15.4% of the nine targets of the Sustainable Development Goal on Gender Equality (SDG 5) are on track to meet its expectations. Many of the commitments from Beijing remain on paper, with Nigerian women still struggling for adequate representation in politics and leadership.
There is also obvious neglect of men’s role where the discussions are often centered on women’s issues without adequately involving men as allies in the fight for gender equality, leading to a perception of the movement as women vs. men rather than a collective effort. Some people have actually seen the push for gender equality as an attack on traditional family values, leading to resistance against feminist movements. I think the idea that advocating for women’s rights equals disrespecting men, is creating unnecessary gender tensions.
There is no doubt that the global women’s rights movement pulled together a lot of energy during and after the conference, but sustaining momentum and addressing systemic issues has proven more challenging, with many advocating for a longer-term focus and commitment.
So, we ask again, what’s the significance of the 30th anniversary? I feel that policy makers and relevant stakeholders should use this 30th anniversary as a time to reconnect, regenerate commitment, and mobilize the public to address barriers to gender equality.
Dr. ThankGod Anne
Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba- A flashback from 1995 until now confirms efforts at enlightening, empowering and protecting women at various strategic levels. These are undeniably proceeds of the Beijing conference. The office of the nation’s first lady and its state equivalents have automatically taken up the poise of ensuring that womenfolk are relevant, informed and equipped for making a marked and complimentary difference in the Nigerian society and beyond.
This awakening in the direction of womenfolk, apparently triggered by the Beijing prompt says volumes and attests to a spotlight that was flicked on – the benefits and effects are glaring.
Everyone in Nigeria knows the womenfolk are no longer available for oppressive intimidation as their increasing number rise from obscurity to lime light, while those already in limelight are soaring to untold heights. Powerful voices of intelligent and strong women are heard across the nation from all walks of life, echoing truth boldly, wisely. I join other women, globally to celebrate women who have broken the glass ceilings in every sphere and even those who have stood up in a little corner to express their womanhood with strength, integrity and resilience in the right direction without the klieg light. I reach out as well to those whose hurt have found solace only in seeking revenge to the society that has supposedly failed them by aligning their feminine virtue with lawlessness, mischief and jeopardy. You can be a soothing balm and capable of being a positive hero if you rethink and consider a detour.