India’s Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Smt. Annpurna Devi, held talks with Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, H.E. Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, in New Delhi on 14 September 2026. The meeting took place during India’s presidency of BRICS, with Nigeria participating as a partner country. The two ministers explored ways to deepen cooperation between their nations on matters affecting women and children.
What was discussed
The conversation covered several areas of shared concern and interest:
- Women’s economic collectives and how they can be used to promote entrepreneurship and financial inclusion
- The care economy and social protection systems
- Clean energy initiatives
- Child rights and protection, particularly for children in difficult circumstances
- Digital safety and digital inclusion
Smt. Annpurna Devi spoke about India’s approach to women-led development and the importance of gender mainstreaming through women’s collectives. Nigeria’s minister expressed interest in learning from India’s practices in areas including women’s collectives, skills development, financing for women entrepreneurs, nutrition programmes, women-led governance structures, and care economy models.
Both ministers agreed that India and Nigeria could collaborate meaningfully on women’s economic collectives, clean energy, social protection, care systems, and child protection. They also noted that such cooperation would strengthen the long-standing relationship between the two countries.
What this means for you
This bilateral engagement signals that India and Nigeria may develop joint programmes or share knowledge in areas like women’s self-help groups, financial services for women entrepreneurs, and child welfare. If such collaborations materialise, they could influence how the Ministry of Women and Child Development designs its schemes and policies going forward. Citizens and organisations working in women’s development and child welfare may eventually benefit from best practices and approaches exchanged between the two governments.