About us

Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development was created consequent upon of the response to The United Nations agreement to establish Institutional Mechanisms for the advancement of Women and Women matters. It is a product of efforts established through a Decree in 1989 giving rise to the National Commission for Women. This however was the initiative of the wife of the then Head of State (Dr) Mrs Maryam Babangida of blessed memory.

The Commission though recognized as a Government Institution, its activities were rather ad-hoc with no specific and adequate budgetary allocation. The wife of the Head of State then dictated the pace of activities in the Commission with the creation of her Better life Programme for Rural Women.

In 1995, the Commission for Women was upgraded to a full-fledged Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, which meant that Nigeria had achieved one of the critical areas of concern of the Beijing Platform for Action.

The activities of the Ministry, again largely influenced by the dictates of the wife of the Head of State at that time, Mrs Maryam Sani Abacha who came up with her pet project; the Family Support and Economic Advancement Programme.

Indeed, like the Women Commission, resource allocation in the form of budgetary provision was very meagre, barely enough to pay the Salary of staff.

Intervention by the First Lady’s programmes were basically welfarist in nature, targeting Women for their immediate needs without tackling the age-long problem of lack of integration of gender awareness and competence into mainstream development planning. This arrangement brought a lot of Institution credibility gap, which negatively affected the Ministry in many ways. For instance, when the Commission was upgraded to a Ministry Status, it was not really at par with other Ministries and therefore lacking the requisite institutional identity and resource base. Other problems were lack of adequate budget allocations and a recognized technical cadre. The net effect of this credibility gap has been that the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development is not viewed as an equal government outfit with other Ministries making its gender mainstreaming work even more difficult to pursue.

In line with Government’s repositioning and reform agenda for better service delivery in the Country; the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development came up with a clearer vision and mission statement as follows:

VISION

“To help build a Nigerian Society that guarantees equal access to social, economic and wealth creation opportunities to all, irrespective of gender, places premium on protection of the child, the aged and persons with disabilities; focuses attention of key operators in both private and public sectors on mainstreaming the concerns of these groups of people in national development process”.

MISSION

“To serve as the national vehicle to bring about speedy and healthy development of Nigerian Women, Children, the socially disadvantaged and physically challenged, and the main-streaming of their rights and privileges in national development process”.

THE MINISTRY’S MANDATE

“The broad mandate of the Ministry is to advise government on gender and Children issues. Issues affecting Persons with Disabilities and the Aged; initiate policy guidelines and lead the process of gender equality and mainstreaming at both the national and international levels”.

LEADERSHIP AND DIRECTORS

Honourable Minister
Permanent Secretary
Director (Gender Affairs Department)
Director (Child Development Department)
Director (Women Development Department)
Director (Economics Services)
Director (Procurement Department)
Director (Planning, Research and Statistics Department)
Director (Human Resource Management Department)
Director (Finance and Account Department)
Director (Legal Services)
Director (General Services)

MINISTRY’S AGENCY

National Centre for Women Development

Units in the Ministry

Federal Audit Unit
Anti-Corruption Unit (ACTU)
Servicom Unit

Honorable Minister of State

About Honourable Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim fsi, Honourable Minister of Women Affairs Hon Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim fsi is an international expert and thought leader in Security, Conflict Resolution, Humanitarian and Disaster Management, Development and Migration Governance. She is driven by a passion to tackle critical and legacy issues impacting women, children, and vulnerable populations, and has dedicated her career to promoting inclusive development, stability, and social equity. This has underpinned her over two (2) decade of experience as an entrepreneur and leading critical government institutions and programmes, where she has advanced policies and programs in peacebuilding, migration management, and humanitarian interventions. Between 2019 and 2023, she served as a member of the Nasarawa State Investment and Economic Advisory Council, where she showcased her policy acumen and strategic insight, contributing significantly to the state’s development agenda while supporting efforts that delivered over $1 billion in investments. Serving as Special Adviser on Strategic Communication and Partnerships to the Minister of State for Education in 2020, she championed the Alternate School Programme, which earned the commendation of the highest policy decision making body in Nigeria – the Fedreal Executive Council- , and continues to be a strategic initiative for reducing the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria. In December 2020, Hon Imaan’s exceptional leadership was recognized as she assumed the role of Director-General of The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). Within the six months, she led NAPTIP, she repositioned the Agency, and her reforms activities led to the upgrading of Nigeria from Tier 2 watchlist (which attracts sanctions) to Tier 2 status (second to highest ranking) by the US Trafficking in Persons Report. Her subsequent reappointment as Honourable Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) marked another phase of her impactful journey. In this role, she championed several innovative and impactful programmes that touched the lives of over 2 Million Persons of Concern in Nigeria. During her time at the Commission, she was able to rally stakeholders, and facilitated the passage of the NCFRMI Act 2022 into Law after over 14 years of previous failed attempts. The Law institutionalises and strengthens the national action for the protection and assistance of Persons of Concern (PoC) in Nigeria. She also championed the zero draft of National Action plan on durable solution and The review of the Migration policy 2015. In recognition of her reform expertise, and commitment to national security and stability, she was appointed in August 2023, as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to the Ministry of Police Affairs (State), making her the First Female Minister of Police Affairs. In this role, she rapidly rallied critical stakeholders, developed an ambitious reform roadmap, and set out a clear vision of creating a world-class Nigeria Police Force that is inclusive, community-based, intelligence-led, and technologically driven and fit for the 21st century. This allowed an for an unprecedented increase in revenue allocation to the Ministry of Police Affairs of over 1,000 percent for delivery of key initiatives. Amongst others, she also championed a strategic shift towards community policing which immensely improved the collaboration between communities and the Police, enhancing overall safety and security of communities. Within four months of leading reforms in the Ministry of Police Affairs, she was presented with an iconic and historic symbol of peace by the German Ambassador in recognition of her efforts in promoting peace and human rights. An Author and Publisher of various thought pieces such as books and journal publications, Hon Imaan’s contribution to knowledge creation and the advancement of society is a deep passion to which she has committed her life. Her commitment to capacity building has also recently earned her a Fellowship at the Institute for Human Capital Development. She is also a fellow of the highly revered Nigeria Security Institute, a Certified Personnel Management Professional, and a Certified SAP HCM Consultant, amongst other certifications. Despite her busy schedules, her undying commitment to building the capacities of the next generation of leaders and nation builders led her to accept to serve as a visiting lecturer at the Sultan Maccido Institute for Peace, Leadership, and Development Studies in the University of Abuja, where she teaches postgraduate students about global migration governance and national security. As a figure of global influence, Hon. Imaan extends her pursuit of knowledge and its dissemination beyond the borders of Nigeria and the African continent. She also serves as a visiting lecturer at the University of Rome in Italy, contributing her expertise and insights to an international academic audience. Imaan holds a degree in Sociology from the University of Abuja, and a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) and a Master’s of Art in Management (MA), both from Webster University, St Louis, Missouri(London Campus). Further demonstrating a relentless thirst for learning and a fervent passion for advancing national security, she is presently engaged in pursuing a Doctoral degree in Security and Strategic Studies at the prestigious Nigeria Defence Academy. With numerous awards locally and internationally under her belt in recognition of her dedication to impactful change, Imaan is currently leveraging her expertise to champion the rights and welfare of women, children, and vulnerable populations. As the Minister of Women Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, she is working tirelessly to create a future where every woman, child, and marginalized person in Nigeria can thrive with purpose, equality, and opportunity.