Michael Olugbode in Abuja
Traditional and cultural leaders from across Africa have pledged to intensify efforts to prevent gender-based violence (GBV) as a high-level continental conference opened on Monday in Lagos.
The Conference of African Traditional and Cultural Leaders on GBV Prevention, convened by the Ford Foundation and UN Women in partnership with the Government of Nigeria, brought together influential monarchs, policymakers, development partners, and civil society actors to advance community-driven solutions to gender-based violence.
The two-day meeting, holding from February 2 to 3, 2026, at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Ikeja, reflects growing recognition that sustainable approaches to GBV prevention must be anchored in cultural systems and traditional institutions that shape social norms across African communities.
Dignitaries at the conference include the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, His Imperial Majesty the Ooni of Ife, the Emir of Fika, the Emir of Shonga, Chief Siansali of Zimbabwe, President of the Ford Foundation, Heather Gerken, UN Women Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Dr. Maxime Houinato, Ford Foundation West Africa Director, Dr. Chichi Aniagolu, and UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong.
Speaking on behalf of the Lagos State Governor, the Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, described gender-based violence as a major social crisis requiring urgent and deliberate action. He stressed that silence enables abuse and called for laws and community structures that protect, rather than harm, women and girls.
Ford Foundation President, Heather Gerken emphasised the importance of engaging cultural authority to drive social change, noting that collaboration with traditional and faith leaders is essential to dismantling harmful practices and promoting the dignity and rights of women and girls.
From a global policy standpoint, UN Women Deputy Executive Director Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda warned that many practices accepted as tradition are, in reality, forms of abuse. She argued that gender-based violence is a symptom of deeper structural inequalities that must be addressed through stronger norms and institutions that guarantee justice and equality.
UN Women’s Regional Director, Dr. Maxime Houinato, highlighted the central role of culture in African societies, stating that traditional leaders are key architects of social order whose alignment with justice and equality can significantly improve community safety.
Participants at the conference reaffirmed that traditional and cultural leaders, due to their moral influence and closeness to grassroots communities, play a critical role in challenging harmful norms and strengthening prevention and response mechanisms to GBV. The gathering builds on ongoing engagement with traditional institutions, including the Council of Traditional Leaders of Africa, to formalise cultural leadership within national and regional GBV strategies.
Dr. Chichi Aniagolu of the Ford Foundation noted that culture is dynamic and shaped by those entrusted to preserve it, adding that efforts to end harmful practices ultimately reinforce, rather than weaken, traditional authority.
Offering a faith-based perspective, the Emir of Shonga, HRH Alhaji Dr. Haliru Yahaya Ndanusa, cautioned against the misuse of religion to justify violence, stressing that any action causing harm contradicts religious principles.
Also speaking, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall, urged traditional rulers to leverage their influence to protect lives and transform communities by championing dignity, equality, and justice.
The conference is expected to conclude with the adoption of a Regional Declaration and Communiqué outlining shared commitments to end gender-based violence, as well as a Sustainability Roadmap aimed at integrating traditional leadership into long-term national and regional prevention strategies.
Organisers said the outcomes would strengthen partnerships among traditional institutions, governments, African Union bodies, and civil society, improve survivor-centred support systems at the community level, and enhance coordinated resource mobilisation to combat GBV across Africa.
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