On 21 October 2026, Vanguard reported a call by stakeholders for governments at all levels to make women farmers active drivers of agricultural interventions, not merely beneficiaries, as one way of closing Nigeria’s food gap. SWEDIWorld’s Founder and Executive Director, Sewuese Asa, was among those who spoke.

What SWEDIWorld said

Describing the exclusion of women farmers as an obstacle to food security, Sewuese Asa said that “Nigeria cannot close its food gap while leaving women farmers at the margins of agricultural interventions”. She stressed that “this is not a gap in ability. It is a gap in access”, and identified four major constraints:

• limited land ownership,
• inadequate inputs,
• weak extension services, and
• underrepresentation in agricultural leadership.

She urged governments to implement the revised National Gender Policy on Agrifood Systems, with clear targets and adequate funding.

Sharing the feature on LinkedIn, she added: “We cannot talk about food security without addressing the inequalities that limit women’s access to land, finance, agricultural inputs, technology and decision-making opportunities. Women farmers are already contributing to food production and sustaining households. What they need is fair access to resources, meaningful representation and agricultural policies that recognise their contribution.”

The wider conversation

Other stakeholders quoted in the report included the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, DeBranch Farmers Limited, JetFarms and D’More Food & Spices, and ActionAid Nigeria, who called for interventions that reach women at scale, measure economic outcomes, and expand access to irrigation, mechanisation, storage, processing, land and finance.

Read the full report on the Vanguard website: “Make women farmers drivers of agric interventions to close food gap — Stakeholders” (Vanguard, 21 October 2026, also in the AgroBiz section, page 10 of the print edition).

SWEDIWorld’s founder, Sewuese Asa, took part as a civil society observer in the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Regional Dialogue with West and Central Africa in Accra, Ghana, from 29 September to 2 October 2026.

The Nigerian delegation included colleagues from the National Council on Climate Change, Nigeria’s National Designated Authority, the Federal Ministry of Finance, NIRSAL, the Development Bank of Nigeria, the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, the Global Green Growth Institute and civil society. She also joined colleagues from the GCF Observer Network of Civil Society, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities.

A good idea is not automatically a good investment

In a project clinic, participants examined a proposed solar irrigation project for farmers. It sounded promising, but the questions went deeper: Is there enough water? What are the climate risks? What is the baseline? Is there a market? Can farmers repay the financing? What preparation is still needed? The exercise changed the way SWEDIWorld looks at projects: a good development idea is not automatically a good investment, and the solution cannot come before understanding the problem, the evidence and the barrier.

Keeping communities at the centre

Consultation is valuable, but civil society’s role should go beyond being consulted. SWEDIWorld will keep asking: Who is vulnerable? Where is the evidence? Who participated? Who benefits? Are women and local communities meaningfully included? Who is accountable? And what happens at the last mile?

The discussions on agriculture showed why attention must go beyond production to climate information, water, processing, post-harvest losses, markets and access to finance. Conversations on fragile and conflict-affected communities were a reminder that investments must respond to the realities in which people live.

These lessons will be carried into SWEDIWorld’s work with women smallholder farmers, community water security and resilience, and women and girls as agents of climate action.

She later wrote that the dialogue was “an important opportunity to engage with climate finance stakeholders, exchange perspectives, and strengthen connections around climate action”, and shared the GCF Africa Region Director’s reflections on country ownership and inclusive climate finance.

“Engaging in climate policy spaces while working directly with women, girls and grassroots communities has been one of the most rewarding parts of my journey,” she wrote afterwards, “reminding me that meaningful climate action must connect policy with the realities of the communities it is meant to serve.”

On 17 September 2026, SWEDIWorld, in collaboration with Community Links and Human Empowerment Initiative (CLHEI), brought women and adolescent girls together in Abuja as part of the Women and Gender Constituency Global Week of Action and Feminist Resistance Gatherings.

The conversation

The discussion, “The Belém Roadmap: Exploring Feminist Climate Action”, asked a practical question: what does the Belém Gender Action Plan mean for women and girls at community level? For SWEDIWorld, acting on the Gender Action Plan begins with listening.

Women brought their lived experiences of climate change, livelihoods, farming, care responsibilities and inequality. Adolescent girls spoke about voice, rights and their wish to take part in decisions that shape their future.

What participation should mean

Together, participants reflected on what meaningful participation looks like:

Be Present → Be Heard → Be Considered → Have Influence

The gathering reminded everyone that grassroots knowledge is not simply a story to document. The Gender Action Plan provides a framework; the work now is to ensure its commitments reach communities and that women and girls are not only included in climate action but have a meaningful role in shaping it.

From feminist resistance to meaningful participation, we are committed to acting on the GAP. #ActOnTheBelemGAP

In the press

The gathering was reported by Daily Trust (“Groups Seek Greater Women, Girls’ Participation In Climate Action”) and Vanguard (“Women’s voice needs to be heard in climate decisions — SWEDIWorld”).

Nigeria’s election to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), with 123 votes, is a significant milestone and a welcome recognition of the country’s role in advancing global conversations on women’s rights. SWEDIWorld congratulates the Government of Nigeria and the newly elected Committee member, and wishes her every success.

At SWEDIWorld, we believe this achievement should translate into stronger action for women and girls across Nigeria. It is an opportunity to accelerate progress on gender equality by ensuring that women and girls, particularly those in rural communities and other underserved areas, have equal access to:

• education,
• healthcare,
• economic opportunities,
• climate resilience, and
• protection from all forms of discrimination and violence.

As a grassroots organisation working with women and girls, SWEDIWorld remains committed to supporting the implementation of Nigeria’s obligations under CEDAW through evidence-based advocacy, community engagement, girls’ leadership and partnerships that leave no one behind. It looks forward to working with government institutions, development partners, civil society organisations and communities to ensure that the rights guaranteed under CEDAW are reflected in the daily lives of every woman and girl in Nigeria.

London Climate Action Week 2026

In May 2026 SWEDIWorld’s founder shared her plans to engage the growing global climate community around London Climate Action Week 2026. As Founder of SWEDIWorld in Nigeria, her interest lies in feminist climate justice, girls’ leadership, community resilience and locally led climate solutions from frontline communities, and in building meaningful collaborations and shared learning across the climate ecosystem.

Global African Women Sustainability Conference

At the Global African Women Sustainability Conference, the lesson was about purpose over spotlight: “Not every step on a red carpet is about spotlights; some are about purpose. The work we do, the people we meet, and the stories we carry all matter more than the stage.”

Our approach

SWEDIWorld helps women and girls become leaders in climate action. It builds the capacity of communities to respond to climate change and supports women and girls to tell their own climate stories and lead.

SWEDIWorld’s Executive Director attended the launch of Nigeria’s Revised National Gender Policy on Agrifood Systems Transformation (2025–2030), led by Senator Abubakar Kyari and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

The message at the launch was clear: the time for implementation is now. The focus is shifting towards practical solutions: improving access to finance, strengthening cooperatives and creating opportunities for women and youth across the value chain.

“Gender inclusion is not a side note in agriculture; it is the foundation of resilient food systems. When women and smallholder farmers are fully empowered, agriculture does not just grow; communities thrive.”

The policy sits at the centre of SWEDIWorld’s work with women farmers in Benue, Nasarawa and the FCT, and of its advocacy for clear targets and funding to implement it (see the October 2026 report in Vanguard on making women farmers drivers of agricultural interventions).