STRIDE Campaign calls for collective action for gender parity

The STRIDE Campaign is championing gender parity and inclusion, calling for collective action to tackle the challenges confronting Nigerian women.

Conceived by Abisola Lekan-Akanbi, STRIDE aims to foster mental well-being, social justice and economic opportunity nationwide.

At the launch, Lekan-Akanbi highlighted pervasive struggles such as imposter syndrome, isolation and the systemic silencing of women.

“Women endure so much, yet they mask it with a smile,” she said, warning that society’s attempts to suppress women do not serve humanity in any way.

Recent data underline the urgency of her message. A 2025 PwC report shows Nigerian women run more than 23 million microbusinesses, but only 10 percent have access to formal loans, despite representing 41 percent of all such entrepreneurs.

A Mastercard study also found 83 percent of Nigerian women identify as entrepreneurs, well above the 51 percent regional average across Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, yet 62 percent cite lack of start-up capital as their biggest barrier.

“Embodying its name, Succeed, Thrive, Renew, Impact, Dominate, Enhance, the STRIDE Campaign is a movement that will honour women’s achievements, champion empowerment, promote mental health and pursue social justice,” Lekan-Akanbi said.

She cautioned that unchecked stress can “slowly break down the nervous system,” manifesting in anxiety, breathlessness and, in extreme cases, mental disorder. “Let today be the day we remove the mask hiding our pain,” she urged, encouraging open dialogue around unfulfilled potential and fractured spirits.

The event also paid tribute to Lekan-Akanbi’s grandmother, the late Bisoye Tejuoso, Nigeria’s first female industrialist and Iyalode of Oke-Egba and Egba land.

From trading foodstuffs on the rail network in the 1950s to founding Teju Industries and later branching into real estate, hospitality and petroleum with Avis Petroleum, Tejuoso’s entrepreneurship blazed a trail.

“Touring her operations, from foam manufacturing at Teju Foam to meetings with dignitaries like Chief MKO Abiola, shaped my ambition,” Lekan-Akanbi recalled. “Annual reports delivered to our home revealed her status among Nigeria’s leading industrialists and inspired me to pursue law and corporate governance.”

By spotlighting Tejuoso’s legacy, STRIDE underscores the lasting economic and social impact of women entrepreneurs. Going forward, the campaign pledges to celebrate women’s contributions, advocate for policies that advance gender equality and expand access to mental health resources.

In Lekan-Akanbi’s words, STRIDE is not just an event but “a charge to all women to rise higher, together.”