Gender equality is important for inclusive and sustainable development. Despite this recognition, limited progress has been made in promoting gender equality and women empowerment in Nigeria in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Gender Development Index (GDI) declined from 0.881 in 2019 to 0.863 in 2021, reflecting a worsening situation of gender equality in Nigeria. The Human Development Index (HDI) of Nigerian men (0.574) is also significantly higher than that of women (0.495). Men also have higher gross national income per capita ($5,800) than women ($3,759); higher average years of schooling (8.2 years versus 6.1 years); average labour force participation rate (64% versus 49%). Furthermore, women constitute over 60% of the 83 million poor Nigerians, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)’s Poverty and Inequality in Nigeria Report 2019. The huge gap in the development outcomes for men and women in Nigeria shows the prevalence of high gender inequality and is a challenge to the attainment of poverty reduction and the SDGs. The poor development outcomes of women relative to that of men is partly attributable to a number of factors, including low participation of women in politics and governance. Although women account for 49.47% of the Nigerian population, they are under-represented in governance at the national, state and local levels. Despite the extant legal framework that recommends 35% affirmative action of women participation and concerted efforts made by government agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society organisations (CSOs), women groups, donor agencies and international partners towards ensuring increased participation and representation of women in politics and governance, available data reveals that women representation in governance since the advent of democratic rule in 1999 is less than 7% on average.

The outcomes of the 2023 General Elections, where less than 5% of female candidates won their elections, further accentuate the declining performance of women in governance in Nigeria, which could undermine the concerns and interests of women in public policy and decision making, undercut women empowerment, and ultimately deter inclusive political, socio-economic and human development. It is therefore imperative to critically analyse and interrogate issues relating to women in governance with a view to enhancing inclusive participation in politics and policy making. This is the gap this conference seeks to fill.

Hence, the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), in line with its mandate to foster intellectual discussions and engagements on issues related to democratic development in Nigeria, and with the support of the leadership of the National Assembly, is organising the International Women in Governance Conference. The conference will provide a platform for experts, government officials, policy makers and other relevant stakeholders to discuss the challenges facing women in political participation and governance and provide evidence-based policy interventions.

The conference format combines keynote speeches, panel discussions, cross-country experiences, and parallel sessions, where academic and policy-relevant papers are presented. It is expected that participants will have a better understanding of the scope of the challenges facing women involvement in governance, be exposed to good practices and experiences of other countries and gain new insights to make informed policy decisions. The publication of selected high-quality presentations at the conference will serve as a notable reader on the subject of women representation in governance in Nigeria.