Paper short abstract:

The case study will examine how international cooperation has enabled Nigerian women in top government roles to improve their performance and deliver better services for beneficiaries.

Paper long abstract:

Women, whether elected, appointed or promoted, are the minority in the Nigerian governance space. To provide a support system where women can form networks, seek technical assistance, and enhance their capacity to deliver on their mandates, the DFID-funded PERL programme designed a "Women in Governance" intervention. The case study will examine:

• How the "Women in Governance" Community of Practice (CoP) has given the women an opportunity to learn from one another, develop a collective identity and provide a support system to decrease bottlenecks in service delivery. And the secret formula behind the success of the CoP;

• What successes have been achieved, including in fragile contexts in Northern Nigeria, which have enabled women to run critical agencies, and to run for top elected offices, and win;

• The role played by UKAID and HMG in supporting the PERL programme to provide tailored technical assistance and build the capacity of high-ranking women in governance who are strategically placed to make an impact in line with their given mandates, to improve engagement with civil society and to influence wider institutional reform.

The presenter will be Margarita Aswani, Deputy National Programme Manager for the Accountable, Responsive and Capable Government pillar of the DFID-funded Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn programme.

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