On June 4, 2026, over 100 senior and emerging women leaders from across Nigeria gathered in Abuja for the Women in Leadership Cross-Sector Convening, a strategic gathering aimed at strengthening collaboration, expanding leadership influence, and accelerating national development.
Convened by the Women in Leadership Advancement Network (WILAN Global) in collaboration with members of the Women in Leadership (WiL) Coalition, including WIMBIZ, WISCAR, and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the event brought together leaders from government, law, finance, healthcare, agriculture, civil society, and other sectors. Under the theme Connecting Impact: Cross-Sector Leadership for National Growth, the convening provided a platform for women to exchange knowledge, forge strategic relationships, and explore opportunities to address shared institutional and leadership challenges.
The programme
- Welcome address by Abosede George-Ogan, Founder of WILAN Global.
- Keynote: From Presence to Power: Why Women’s Cross-Sector Leadership Will Shape Africa’s Future, Madam Elsie Addo Awadzi.
- Senior women leaders’ panel: From Seats at the Table to Shaping the Table, on leading institutional change.
- Public sector roundtable: Strengthening Subnational Systems for Change, on agriculture, justice and finance.
- Emerging women leaders’ panel: The Next Wave: Emerging Women Leaders, Driving Influence and Impact.
The programme featured a keynote address by Madam Elsie Addo Awadzi, panel conversations with senior and emerging women leaders, and a public sector roundtable examining the role of women’s leadership in strengthening subnational systems.
The future belongs to integrators and collaborators.
Madam Elsie Addo Awadzi, keynote address
Discussions reinforced the importance of moving beyond representation to meaningful influence, institutional transformation, and coordinated action.
The convening reflected the Coalition’s commitment to connecting institutions, strengthening women’s leadership networks, and advancing inclusive systems that enable women to lead and contribute to Nigeria’s development.
Read the full report: From Representation to Influence: Women Leaders Unite to Advance Cross-Sector Collaboration in Nigeria.
