France backs grassroots gender revolution in Nigeria

A quiet revolution is blooming in corners of Nigeria, too often overlooked—backyards with moringa trees, shelters for gender-based violence survivors, and rural farms.

Thanks to the newly launched €1 million French Embassy Fund for Civil Society Organisations (FEF-OSC), these spaces are becoming sites of transformation for women and girls, powered by innovation, resilience, and a shared dream for dignity.

At a heartfelt ceremony in Abuja, French Ambassador to Nigeria Marc Fonbaustier unveiled the FEF-OSC 2025 initiative, celebrating 19 local organisations whose ideas were selected for support.

“Gender equality and women’s empowerment are not wishful thinking. They are universal rights,” Fonbaustier said, applauding the “rich diversity and creativity of Nigerian civil society.”

CSOs gear up for swift impact

From Bauchi State, Ms. Eswayi Polycarp Ikpi of the Youth Adolescent Health Initiative and Counselling (YAHIC) described her joy at being selected: “Do miracles actually exist?”

Her group’s project empowers women to process and sell moringa, a plant abundant in local backyards but underused economically.

“They’re doing something they know, but with an innovative twist,” she said.

For Evelyn Ugbe, Executive Director of the Centre for Redefining Alternative Civic Engagement for Africa (RACE), the funding supports survivors of sexual gender-based violence (SGBV).

“We’re breaking economic barriers. This is about creating equal opportunities and dignity for women who have faced unimaginable trauma,” she explained.

Abdulazeez Musa of BridgeConnect Africa outlined their WAVES initiative—Women Against Violence Empowered Through Sustainability, which merges climate-smart agriculture and waste-to-wealth projects.

“We co-create solutions with the women themselves. It’s about dignified lives, not just survival,” he said.

FG, UN backs gender diplomacy

The Ambassador emphasised that Team France is fully invested in what he described as a feminist diplomatic effort.

With participation from the UN and Nigerian government, the programme prioritises community-led action and intersectionality, targeting women in conflict zones, those with disabilities, and others facing compounded discrimination.

As poetry, community stories, and strategic hope filled the garden outside the French Embassy, one thing became clear: this was more than a funding launch.

It was the birth of a movement where lived experience meets sustainable empowerment—where women rise, not alone, but together.