Sultan Backs African Traditional Leaders’ Conference On Women’s Rights

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has given his provisional confirmation to participate in the forthcoming African traditional leaders’ conference on women’s rights and gender-based violence, GBV, scheduled for February 2026 in Lagos.

The Sultan received the invitation during the development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) ‘s courtesy visit to his palace in Sokoto.

In his remarks, the Sultan commended dRPC’s work, stating that its objectives align with the Sultanate’s long-standing advocacy for women’s rights and education rooted in Islamic scholarship.

He praised the women-majority delegation for their leadership and urged consistent follow-up on recommendations from national forums.

Programme officer of the Ford Foundation, Mr Oumar Ndiaye,  described the conference as a landmark opportunity for traditional leaders across Africa to unite in combating GBV and advancing women’s rights.

Ndiaye applauded the Sultan’s commitment and reaffirmed the Ford Foundation’s support for dRPC’s efforts, stressing that “ending GBV requires collective action across society.”

Professor Taufiq Abubakar, who led the dRPC delegation, highlighted the organisation’s Muslim Opinion Leaders, MOLs, for the Prevention of GBV in Northern Nigeria project, supported by the Ford Foundation.

He noted that the initiative partners with Islamic scholars to promote women’s protection from an Islamic perspective and has produced extensive publications, developed with Al-Azhar University and the Centre for Islamic Civilisation and Interfaith Dialogue—now being translated into Arabic and Hausa.

Professor Abubakar further outlined dRPC’s ongoing collaborations with Muslim scholars to address GBV and the “double stigmatisation” of survivors, a growing social challenge in Northern Nigeria.