Follow Us on Google
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
First Lady of Nigeria, Oluremi Tinubu, at Day 2 of the International Civil Service Conference (ICSC) 2026, held under the theme “Reforms, Resilience and Results” formally launched INSPIRE Nigeria — the Inclusive Network for Supporting Progressive Leadership, Innovation, Reform and Equity for Women — telling civil servants the programme must reshape workplaces so women can rise from junior ranks to the highest echelons of government.
The initiative forms part of wider federal commitments, including the National Gender Policy 2021–2026 and the Women’s Economic Empowerment Policy 2023–2028, aimed at translating policy into binding institutional practice.
The First Lady described INSPIRE as central to the Renewed Hope agenda’s drive for inclusion, productivity and national transformation. “This initiative speaks to the kind of civil service we must continue to build — one that supports its workforce, rewards competence, promotes fairness, encourages innovation, creates opportunities for professional growth and truly reflects equity and excellence,” she said.
Addressing over 5,000 delegates from 16 countries including, the First Lady urged early and sustained leadership development: “I am pleased to learn that this initiative is designed to reach women across different levels of the civil service, from junior officers to executive level, and this is most important because leadership development should not begin only when a woman becomes a permanent secretary. A young officer who is properly mentored today may become the permanent secretary, head of service, minister, or a national leader tomorrow.”
She linked women’s empowerment in the civil service to stronger institutions and better governance. “When women are empowered, institutions become stronger, governance improves and citizens benefit from better service delivery. That is why initiatives like INSPIRE are not just important for women alone, they are vital for national progress,” she said, and urged men within the service to continue their support: “I encourage you to continue your partnership in building workplaces that promote fairness, respect and equal opportunity for all.”
The First Lady thanked the Head of the Civil Service, Didi Walson‑Jack, for convening the conference and driving inclusive leadership reforms, and she applauded UN Women and development partners for backing the programme. Stressing that the measure of INSPIRE’s success will be its long‑term impact, she added: “I must note that the success of INSPIRE will not be measured only by today’s launch, but by the impact created in the years ahead. Our nation needs institutions that can think, adapt, innovate, and compete globally.”
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Walson-Jack, called the INSPIRE programme, “a strategic platform designed to remove structural barriers limiting women’s advancement in public service and to promote inclusive leadership across all levels of government.”
According to the Head of Service, the programme will focus on “building institutional capacity, strengthening professional confidence, and creating structured opportunities for mentorship and leadership development.”
She said the initiative is meant to tackle long-standing obstacles such as “limited access to mentorship, weak sponsorship networks, and institutional constraints that have affected the career progression of women in the civil service.”
Under INSPIRE, women will gain access to “a structured framework for career development, peer mentoring, leadership training, policy engagement, and performance-based evaluation,” while also being connected “across different cadres of the civil service into a sustained professional network.”
Walson-Jack emphasised that reform efforts “must be inclusive to achieve meaningful results,” adding that “institutional effectiveness depends on the full participation of both men and women in governance and policy implementation.”
She also pointed out that the INSPIRE Network “will support continuous engagement beyond conferences and workshops, ensuring that mentorship and capacity building are sustained within the system rather than treated as one-off interventions.”
The Head of Service affirmed that the initiative “aligns with Nigeria’s broader public service reform agenda, which prioritises efficiency, accountability, and results-driven governance under the Renewed Hope framework.”
Earlier, delivering a goodwill message on behalf of the Federal Government, Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, described INSPIRE as arriving “at precisely the right moment” and urged participants to convert conference commitments into tangible change.
Other News
She noted that the gathering “sends a strong and a timely message that governance reforms remain a national priority and that the Nigerian civil service continues to occupy a central place in our national development aspirations.”
Suliaman-Ibrahim highlighted the persistent gap between the large number of women in the federal workforce and their thin representation at senior levels. “This is not a coincidence, it is a consequence of a legacy system that has some structural weaknesses. And it is a gap we can no longer afford,” she said, invoking President Bola Tinubu’s vision that “the greatest tools for sustainable, scalable transformational development of our nation is the empowerment of our women.”
She outlined concrete priorities she wants to see implemented across institutions: “Firstly, we must fully implement the six‑month maternity leave policy without exception or penalty. Women must never be forced to choose between caring for their children or building a career. We must also establish workplace practices, enforce zero‑tolerance policies on harassment, and ensure that institutional responsibility for a safe workplace is not an additional benefit — it’s a right.
“Thirdly, we must mainstream gender‑responsive budgeting and implement the 30% affirmative programme policy approved by Mr. President. We must move these commitments from policy documents into binding institutional platforms. And fourthly and lastly, we must invest deliberately in leadership pipelines for our women through mentorship, sponsorship and succession planning that fast‑track women into the senior roles this country needs them to occupy.”
She pledged her ministry’s full engagement with INSPIRE: “The Federal Ministry of Human Affairs, Social Development commits its full engagement to the successful implementation of the INSPIRE Initiative. We will bring our policy leadership, technical expertise and institutional partnership to bear.” She also previewed a forthcoming national care economy strategy mandated by the President to support caregivers and formalize care work, calling it key to freeing women from disproportionate unpaid care burdens.
She concluded by urging all partners — government, private sector and development agencies — to convert words into action. “Words spoken in conferences like this must become action felt in offices, in our homes, and in communities across Nigeria,” she said, and asked participants to hold themselves accountable for the four critical actions she had outlined.
UN Women Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Maxime Houinato commended Nigeria’s progress on gender equality and urged continued investment and accountability. He commend the government and the people of Nigeria for their sustained efforts in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.
He listed recent national advances — including Renewal Hope, the Social Impact and Empowerment Programme, the Nigeria Women Programme, the National Women Economic Empowerment Policy, domestication of the VAPP Act and the third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security — as evidence of progress, but warned that significant challenges remain.
“Women’s political representation, for example, remains critically low and structural inequality persists due to deep‑rooted social norms, economic barriers and institutional gaps,” he said. “These are situations that are historical, these are situations that are structural, and we commend the effort of the government of Nigeria to look for solutions that will allow women to express their potential.”
On INSPIRE he said the initiative was “both timely and strategic,” offering “a platform to strengthen capacity, to amplify impacts and to accelerate system transformation.” She called for sustained investment and accountability, praising the whole‑of‑government approach: “UN Women, together with UN agencies here in the room, under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator, are proud to support INSPIRE through the partnership with the Office of the Civil Service, as well as ongoing collaboration with the Ministry in charge of women’s affairs. These efforts and the investment of the UN will strengthen gender‑responsive policies, planning, and implementation across government.” She also thanked the Government of Canada for its support. “When you look behind, you always find the UN behind you,” she concluded.
