About Us
PLAC is implementing a project on “Expanding Political Participation of Women in Nigeria” with the support of the Ford Foundation. The Project is set against a background that recognises inclusiveness as a key indicator of good governance and understands that Nigeria is faced with the challenge of non-inclusiveness in its governance processes with women being partly or excluded from participation in decision making processes.
For instance, there are 29 women out of a total number of 469 members of the 8th National Assembly, thus representing only 6% of this total. Between the time of the country’s return to democratic rule in 1999 and 2011, the country witnessed a slight progression in the number of elected women legislators, but after the 2015 general elections, there was a drop in these numbers. Globally it has been recognised that inclusivity in political participation is a fundamental aspect of modern democracy. Since the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in 1979 and the Beijing Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth Conference on Women in 1995, there has been a conscious effort to bring to the fore gender equality and equity by addressing the issue of political participation of women.
There have also been efforts by various women and women interest groups in Nigeria to open up the space for women’s participation in politics and decision-making through capacity development of women and campaigns for the adoption of positive legislation and gender quotas. Leveraging on existing relationships and engagement with policy makers, this Project seeks to contribute to these efforts in support of inclusive reforms and improved women’s political participation. Some of the activities aimed at achieving these objectives include facilitation of discussion and experience sharing platforms for women and policy makers, documenting experiences of women in the political space and sharing same via storytelling.