Group trains Nigerian advocates, calls for expanded support for gender justice

Rise Up Together, a global non-profit that operates across Africa, South Asia and the United States, has completed training for its sixth cohort of Nigerian civil society leaders focused on advancing gender justice for women and girls.

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The organisation, which has been active in Nigeria since 2014, said it has now trained nearly 200 leaders across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nasarawa, Anambra, Rivers and Kaduna states.

The latest cohort comprises 25 participants from a range of local civil society groups.

Strengthening local advocacy

Speaking at the end of a week-long training in Abuja on Saturday, the country director for Rise Up Together, Teresa Effa said the programme is intended to equip local actors to press for policy and system changes that improve conditions for women and girls.

Ms Effa said they identify people who are passionate about advancing issues that enable women to live and thrive within their communities.

“We work mainly around advocacy because when you talk with political leaders and policymakers, you’re trying to change the system so many more people can be impacted,” she said.

Ms Effa also noted that the organisation selects partner states based on data indicating gaps in gender development and the potential for targeted interventions.

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According to her, beneficiaries enter a structured leader’s journey that includes training, seed grants, technical assistance and ongoing peer support.

Ms Effa cited results from earlier cohorts to illustrate the programme’s approach.

She said a member of the fifth cohort helped Nasarawa State develop a girl-child policy in 2023; the policy, according to Rise Up, helped the state attract federal and World Bank funding for school renovations and conditional cash transfers to caregivers to boost girls’ enrolment.

Global partners, local action

Jennifer Broome, Rise Up’s director of strategic partnerships, said the organisation would continue supporting participants through mentorship and additional funding opportunities.

Ms Broome noted that the group of 25 leaders in this cohort had been particularly impressive.

She added that Rise Up plans to return in 2026 to train a seventh cohort.

She explained that the programme is not a one-off engagement and emphasised that the organisation invests in leaders over the long term to help them sustain advocacy and influence policy.

Advocacy

Oluwatimilehin Onafeso, executive director of WAAW Foundation, said the course clarified the difference between service delivery and advocacy.

Ms onafeso explained that, for years, her organisation had focused on addressing the effects of problems rather than confronting their root causes.

She added that WAAW will now prioritise advocacy to strengthen the implementation of the National Policy on Science and Technology Education, with particular attention to improving STEM infrastructure in girls-only public schools.

She noted that strengthening STEM infrastructure in public schools nationwide would encourage more girls to pursue STEM careers, which could improve their livelihoods and contribute to the country’s economic growth.

From service delivery to influence

Tsakpa Dennis, programmes and partnerships lead at Every Girl Initiative, described the training as a career highlight and said his organisation would rebalance its work towards advocacy.

Mr Dennis explained that the organisation had already agreed to shift 60 per cent of its activities to influencing and advocacy because it believes this approach delivers sustainable and large-scale change.

He called for the programme to be extended to reach more organisations, especially in conflict-affected regions where groups are transitioning from humanitarian to development work.

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He said many actors do not yet have the knowledge or strategy required to engage policymakers effectively.

Mr Dennis appealed to corporate social responsibility programmes to prioritise long-term policy work rather than short-term humanitarian relief, noting that the policies being pursued would ultimately benefit everyone, including the private sector.

He further encouraged government bodies to be more open to engagement with civil society so that advocacy becomes collaborative rather than adversarial, adding that such an approach would create a mutually beneficial outcome.