Abuja: The Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Professor Abubakar Sulaiman, emphasized the pivotal role of women in driving Africa’s sustainable development by merging cultural heritage with modern innovation. Speaking on the second day of the Africa Women Conference (AWC), Professor Sulaiman presented a keynote paper titled ‘Legacy Meets Innovation: Women Forging New Pathways for Africa’s Sustainable Development,’ underscoring women’s contributions to transforming various sectors across the continent.
According to Voice of Nigeria, Professor Sulaiman highlighted the historical role of African women as custodians of culture, social cohesion, and economic resilience. He stressed the importance of balancing traditional knowledge with emerging technologies, asserting that Africa’s future hinges on the empowerment and ingenuity of its women. The NILDS Director-General noted that women are at the forefront of transformative change in agriculture, governance, entrepreneurship, education, and climate action by integrating indigenous knowledge with modern tools.
Professor Sulaiman explained that this synthesis illustrates that Africa’s path to sustainability involves modernizing traditions through female-led ingenuity. He cited progress in agriculture, where women farmers are enhancing productivity by combining indigenous drought-resistant crops with mobile advisory services. In governance, traditional female leadership structures are being reinterpreted to strengthen participation in public decision-making. Women in technology, digital entrepreneurship, and climate action are redefining development models by integrating solar technologies with traditional water-harvesting systems and applying indigenous environmental ethics to modern sustainability strategies.
However, Professor Sulaiman cautioned that structural inequalities continue to limit women’s full participation. He identified persistent barriers such as gender discrimination, limited access to credit, underrepresentation in STEM fields, and weak policy frameworks as challenges undermining women’s ability to participate fully in innovation ecosystems. He called for stronger gender-responsive policies, increased investment in STEM education, wider access to finance and digital tools, and the protection of indigenous knowledge systems. He warned that Africa risks underutilizing half of its human capital if gender disparities remain unaddressed.
Professor Sulaiman concluded by affirming that African women are reshaping the continent’s development landscape through their resilience and creativity. He emphasized that sustainable development is about harmonizing the wisdom of the past with the possibilities of the future. Additionally, he presented copies of his book, ‘Women Representation in Governance in Nigeria, Issues, Challenges and Way Forward,’ to the AWC as resources for women capacity building.