The First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, on Wednesday formally launchedthe Inclusive Network for Supporting Progressive Leadership, Innovation, Reform and Equity (INSPIRE) Nigeria for Women.
The launch took place on the second day of the International Civil Service Conference (ICSC) 2026 held in Abuja under the theme, “Reforms, Resilience and Results.” The initiative is part of federal government’s efforts anchored on the National Gender Policy 2021–2026 and the Women’s Economic Empowerment Policy 2023–2028 aimed at deepening gender inclusion and transforming policy commitments into measurable institutional action.
Addressing more than 5,000 delegates drawn from 16 countries, the First Lady called for institutional reforms, mentorship and inclusive leadership policies capable of accelerating women’s advancement across the nation’s civil service.
She described INSPIRE Nigeria as a strategic pillar of the Renewed Hope agenda designed to create equitable workplaces where women can rise from entry-level positions to the highest levels of public service leadership.
“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.
She said that leadership grooming for women must begin early and remain continuous throughout their careers, noting that future national leaders could emerge from today’s junior officers if given the right mentorship and institutional support.
“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 said.
The First Lady linked women’s empowerment directly to national development, insisting that stronger female participation in governance would enhance institutional performance and improve service delivery.
“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.
She also urged male civil servants and leaders to sustain support for gender-inclusive workplaces founded on fairness, dignity, and equal opportunity.
The First Lady commended the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, for championing inclusive leadership reforms and convening the conference, while also applauding UN Women and other development partners for supporting the initiative.
According to her, the real measure of INSPIRE’s success would not lie in its unveiling but in its long-term impact on institutional transformation and national competitiveness.
“Our nation needs institutions that can think, adapt, innovate, and compete globally,” she said.
In her remarks, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack described INSPIRE as a strategic intervention aimed at dismantling structural barriers limiting women’s advancement in public service and promoting inclusive leadership across government institutions.
She explained that the programme would focus on strengthening institutional capacity, expanding mentorship opportunities, boosting professional confidence and creating structured pathways for leadership development.
She said that women in the public service had for decades faced barriers including weak sponsorship structures, limited mentorship opportunities and institutional constraints affecting career progression.
According to her, the initiative would provide women with a structured framework for peer mentoring, leadership training, policy engagement, career development and performance-based evaluation, while also connecting officers across different cadres into a sustained professional support network.
The Head of Service stressed that meaningful public service reforms could only succeed through inclusion and equal participation of both men and women in governance and policy implementation.
She added that INSPIRE would institutionalise mentorship and capacity-building programmes beyond conferences and workshops to ensure continuous engagement within the civil service system.
The Head of Service affirmed that the programme aligns with Nigeria’s broader public service reform agenda focused on efficiency, accountability and results-driven governance under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope framework
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, described INSPIRE as a timely intervention capable of bridging long-standing gender gaps within the public service.
She observed that although women constitute a significant percentage of the federal workforce, their representation at senior leadership levels remains disproportionately low due to entrenched structural limitations.
“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.
The minister outlined key reforms she believes must be urgently implemented across institutions, including full enforcement of the six-month maternity leave policy, zero tolerance for workplace harassment, gender-responsive budgeting, implementation of the 30 per cent affirmative action policy and deliberate investment in mentorship and succession planning for women.
She pledged the ministry’s commitment to the successful implementation of INSPIRE and disclosed that the federal government was also developing a national care economy strategy aimed at supporting caregivers and reducing the burden of unpaid care work on women.
She urged government agencies, development partners and the private sector to ensure that commitments made at the conference translate into tangible institutional reforms and improved workplace realities for women across the country.
Also speaking, UN Women Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Maxime Houinato, commended Nigeria’s efforts toward advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment but cautioned that significant structural challenges still persist.
He cited initiatives such as the Renewed Hope agenda, the Nigeria Women Programme, the National Women Economic Empowerment Policy, the domestication of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act and the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security as evidence of progress.
He said, however, that women’s political representation remains critically low due to deep-rooted social norms, economic obstacles and institutional barriers.
“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,” he said.
He described INSPIRE as both timely and strategic, saying the initiative would strengthen institutional capacity, deepen impact and accelerate transformational reforms across the public sector.
He reaffirmed the commitment of UN Women and other United Nations agencies to supporting Nigeria’s gender-responsive reform efforts in collaboration with the Office of the Head of Service and the Ministry of Women Affairs, while also acknowledging the support of the Government of Canada toward advancing the initiative.
