Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speaking at the First Nigeria Intl Women's Day Gala - UNDP

Watch this exceptional speech from Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, special guest at Nigeria's First International Women's Day Gala, organized by UNDP, UK, EU, Germany and the US embassy.

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To commemorate International Women’s Day (IWD), and to advocate for increased women’s political and socio-economic empowerment in Nigeria, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Women, the European Union (EU), British High Commission, and the Embassies of the United States of America, Germany and France co-hosted Nigeria’s first International Women’s Day Awards Gala in Lagos. At the Gala, individuals and organisations from various sectors across the country were recognized for their efforts and contributions in championing and advancing women’s rights and inclusion.

Gender imbalance in Nigeria’s political leadership needs to be addressed to provide access to equal opportunities for both men and women to participate in all levels of political decision making. The award gala therefore provided an opportunity to encourage political decision makers to strive to ensure adequate space is created for women and incentivize change by publicly recognizing women’s empowerment champions across multiple sectors in the country.

The awards recognized individuals and organizations across seven categories, including Political Leadership and Governance, Private Sector, Media and Entertainment, Arts and Culture, Civil Society, Outstanding Female and the feature award, Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow. Nominees and award winners were selected by the IWD Gala Board comprised of representatives from development partners, the UN and the Federal Government House of Representatives.