Gender and Development Action

When You Hear of Women’s Representation, What Comes To Mind?
Tell us in the Comments...

Women’s representation is more than having a seat at the table. It means creating fair opportunities for qualified women to contest, compete and lead and ensuring their voices are heard.

Women’s lived experiences shape perspectives on healthcare, education, safety, economic opportunity and protection from violence. These perspectives matter in decisions that affect everyone.

As we work toward stronger, more inclusive democratic institutions, let’s ask every candidate: What is your vision? What contributions have you made to your community? How will you improve lives?

Let competence, character, accountability and vision, not gender stereotypes guide our choices.

Women belong where decisions are made.

Today, we are putting the spotlight on Kiting Community -Obanliku, where the Community Crisis Management Team (CCMT) are turning Knowledge into Action.

After receiving capacity strengthening through GADA’s intervention, the CCMT have again independently organised a community awareness campaign on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention.

Just individuals translating knowledge and skills gained to continue conversations, challenge harmful norms and inspire collective responsibility for safer communities.

For us at GADA, this is the real win. Sustainable impact is when communities choose to continue when external support is no longer available. Obanliku CCMT have demonstrated this.

When communities are equipped, trusted and empowered: knowledge becomes action, action becomes ownership, and ownership becomes lasting change.

A new week brings a new opportunity, not just to begin again, but to make a difference.

This week, let’s choose actions that move us closer to a world where women and girls are empowered, rights are respected, communities are safe, and every woman has the opportunity to thrive.

Together, our everyday actions can create change that reaches beyond us and into the next generation.

Let’s make this week count.

A New Chapter for Affiong and Her Children

For three years, Affiong lived with the weight of violence.
She was afraid. Providing for her twin children was a challenge. And without a reliable source of income, building a safer and more stable life felt almost impossible.

After reporting her case to the GADA Help Desk in Calabar, Affiong received psychosocial and legal support. But the support did not stop there. She was also provided economic empowerment and received continued follow-up as she worked towards rebuilding her life.
Six months later, the difference was more than visible. Affiong had become economically independent. She had a safer home. And perhaps most importantly, she had regained something violence had taken from her: a sense of peace and hope for the future of her children.

Affiong’s journey reminds us that responding to GBV is not only about addressing violence. It is about helping survivors reclaim their safety, dignity, confidence and future.

There are many more people who need that chance.
If you or someone you know is experiencing gender-based violence, speaking up can be the first step towards safety and support. Together, we can make support accessible.

Break the silence. Report GBV. Help someone find their way forward.

Money has always influenced politics. But what happens when the cost of politics keeps rising?

With the Electoral Act 2026 increasing campaign spending limits for elective offices, important questions emerge for Nigeria's democracy.

Will higher spending limits strengthen electoral competition, or make elections even more expensive? Could this create greater barriers for women, young people and independent candidates who already struggle to access campaign financing? And in a country where vote buying remains a concern, what does this mean for the credibility and fairness of our elections?

There are no easy answers, but these are conversations we must have. What do you think? Will these new limits improve our democracy, or deepen existing inequalities in our electoral process?

Let's discuss in the comments.

Lasting change isn’t driven by projects alone; it’s sustained by people who choose to lead.

For the Nyanghasang Community Crisis Management Team (CCMT), capacity strengthening has evolved into community leadership. What began as a learning initiative has grown into a locally driven movement for safer communities.

Equipped with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to respond to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), the team is building strategic partnerships with the Nigeria Police Force to strengthen survivor-centred response while engaging private sector actors to mobilize sustainable support for their work.

How else can we liken sustainability?: communities taking ownership, institutions working together, and local leadership driving lasting change.

Every conversation started, every partnership formed, and every survivor supported brings us one step closer to communities where the rights, safety, and dignity of all are protected.