Women Leadership Initiative Graduates Pioneer Cohort

The HerCademy leadership training initiative has graduated its pioneer cohort in Abuja, launching a strategic governance intervention backed by the National Assembly and the Swiss Embassy to reverse the critical underrepresentation of women in public office.

At the event, the institute’s founder, Chief Osasu Igbinedion Ogwuche, described the event as “not just a graduation ceremony, but a celebration of growth, courage, purpose and possibility.”

She said the participants had, over the past six weeks, committed themselves to a journey of leadership, discipline, service and transformation.

“They came into HerCademy with ambition, but today they leave with something even more powerful: clarity, confidence and the conviction that they belong in the rooms where decisions are made.

“At HerCademy, we believe leadership is not defined by titles alone. It is defined by character, competence, compassion and the willingness to rise even when the odds are stacked against you.

“We believe that when a woman is empowered, communities are strengthened, institutions are transformed and nations move forward,” Ogwuche said.

Ogwuche urged the participants and women generally to lead boldly and serve intentionally.

“You have undergone a rigorous six-week training, engaged with lawmakers, policymakers and professionals, and sharpened your understanding of governance and public life,” she added.   Also at the event was the Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Patrick Egloff, said stronger political participation by women in Switzerland had not only enhanced inclusion in decision-making but also strengthened political institutions in the country.

He noted that only about four per cent of parliamentarians in Nigeria are women, compared to 40 per cent in Switzerland.

Egloff recalled that women in Switzerland gained the right to vote in 1971 and that the country had since witnessed steady growth in female political participation.

The deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, was represented by an official from his office, who said his sponsorship of the Special Seats Bill for women was not an act of charity but a strategic investment in Nigeria’s stability.

“For me, supporting women in leadership is not just a matter of political correctness; it is a matter of strategic national interest and necessity.

“My sponsorship of the Special Seats Bill is not a gesture of charity. It is a calculated legislative investment in Nigeria’s stability,” he said.

Kalu stressed that democracy could not thrive when more than half of the population remained underrepresented in decision-making spaces.