When Nigerian women gather, they do not just talk — they build movements. That is the spirit behind the upcoming Voice of Women Conference & Awards (VOW2025), which will take place on Thursday, October 2, 2025, at the NAF Conference Centre, Abuja.

Now in its 9th year, VOW has become more than a conference. It is a rallying point where women from the grassroots and urban centres, policymakers, activists, and leaders across every sector converge to shape conversations that matter. This year’s theme, “Nigerian Women & The Power of Collective Action,” is both a call to unity and a reminder that progress thrives when women stand together.

The conference promises an agenda as dynamic as its audience: keynote addresses, panel discussions, fireside chats, exhibitions, and networking opportunities. But beyond the program lies the bigger purpose — showing how collaboration across lines of class, region, and sector is the bedrock of lasting national transformation.

The roster of speakers reflects this ambition. From Vice President Kashim Shettima to Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the former Deputy President of South Africa, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, the Deputy Speaker Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, and the Minister of Women Affairs Hon. Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, the event draws leaders with influence and reach. They will be joined by voices such as Erelu Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, Gill Lever (British Deputy High Commissioner), Hansatu Adegbite, Sherifat Taleat, and Funmilola Paseda Oladoyinbo, underscoring the global and local alliances needed to drive women’s inclusion.

For the Convener, Toun Okewale Sonaiya, the message of VOW2025 could not be clearer: women must support women. “Irrespective of political affiliation, economic status, ethnic background, faith, age, ability or disability, women must support women. Only then can Nigerian women move from passive participants in governance and leadership to becoming the decisive force that shapes it,” she emphasized.

Since its inception, the Voice of Women Conference & Awards has been Nigeria’s largest inclusive platform for advancing women’s issues, according to her. It has consistently drawn government officials, civil society actors, grassroots organizers, private sector leaders, and the media to one table while each edition strengthens the case for equity and inclusion while spotlighting success stories of women breaking barriers, she says.

VOW2025 comes at a moment when Nigeria faces complex social and economic challenges, challenges that demand unity and shared solutions. In that context, the conference is more than a conversation; it is a demonstration of what collective action can achieve.

For the women who will fill the halls of the NAF Conference Centre in Abuja, VOW2025 is not just about speeches and panels. It is about leaving with renewed conviction: that together, women can be the force that not only participates in shaping Nigeria’s future but defines it.