WIPO Abuja summit highlights women's leadership barriers despite public support
A high-level policy summit in Abuja on Tuesday, organized by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), brought together stakeholders to address persistent structural barriers limiting women's leadership in Nigeria's political and economic sectors. Director Oluwatobiloba Moody emphasized that excluding women from innovation-driven sectors like technology and intellectual property hinders Nigeria's development potential, calling inclusive leadership an economic necessity. While nearly nine in 10 Nigerians support women leading major companies (Reykjavik Index shows 59/100 leadership readiness score), progress remains slow with women still underrepresented in governance and corporate roles. UN Women's Beatrice Eyong stressed the need for institutional reforms to match growing public acceptance, while UNDP's Elsie Attafuah highlighted weak enforcement of existing gender equality laws as a key barrier. Stakeholders called for stronger accountability mechanisms and concrete private sector actions to bridge the gap between policy commitments and real-world implementation.