Sultan of Sokoto Endorses African Conference on Women's Rights and GBV in Lagos 2026

Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar, has endorsed the upcoming African Traditional Leaders Conference on Women's Rights and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) scheduled for February 2026 in Lagos. The Sultan confirmed his attendance during a visit by the Development Research Projects Centre (dRPC) and Ford Foundation representatives to his palace in Sokoto.

The conference aims to unite traditional leaders across Africa to advance women's rights and combat GBV. Professor Taufiq Abubakar highlighted the dRPC's Muslim Opinion Leaders (MOLs) project in Northern Nigeria, supported by the Ford Foundation, which focuses on preventing GBV and promoting women's protection from an Islamic perspective.

The initiative seeks to address the double stigmatization faced by GBV survivors in Northern Nigeria.