Advocates climate change, women empowerment at Kaduna 2025 Conference
Members of the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations of Nigeria (FOMWAN) from within and outside the country are gathered in Kaduna State to mark the 40th anniversary of the organisation.
The milestone event also features an international conference tagged Kaduna 2025 with the theme ‘Empowering Muslim Women in the Face of Climate Change: Building Resilience, Sustainability and Community Development While Showcasing FOMWAN’s Achievements’.
Muslim News learnt that during the twin events which commenced from Tuesday, August 19 will last till Sunday, August 24, 2025, the Muslim women will elect national executives that will run the affairs of the organisation for the next two administrative years.
The emergence of a new National Amirah today, Saturday, August 23, will also bring to an end the two years meritorious service of Alhaja Rafiah Idowu Sanni-led administration.
Speaking at the formal opening ceremony attended by policymakers, religious leaders, and development stakeholders including representatives of the wives of the President and Vice President, Kaduna State Governor, among others, Alhaja Idowu Sanni, a niqobi, paraded the achievements of the organisation in the past four decades.
The Amirah said FOMWAN, which was established in 1985, has in the last forty years worked tirelessly to implement activities and programmes that have created transformative changes throughout Nigeria.
“Our Da’wah activities have not only shaped and reformed the lives of Nigerian Muslim women both at home and abroad but have also strengthened the moral foundation upon which sustainable living and environmental stewardship must rest,” she said.
Alhaja Idowu-Sanni said this year’s conference is a tribute to decades of vision, resilience, and impact driven by Muslim women committed to building better communities.
“FOMWAN has established over 3,000 educational institutions nationwide, including daycare centres, nursery, primary, secondary, and higher institutions, Islamiyya/Qur’anic centres, and adult literacy programmes, making quality education accessible at every stage of life.”
According to her, education remains a key tool for FOMWAN to empower women and young people and also to shield them against vulnerability.
Also highlighting the interventions of FOMWAN in healthcare, the National Amirah said the organisation has established six fully functional hospitals across the country.
“These health initiatives are even more critical today as climate change accelerates the spread of vector-borne and waterborne diseases. Our malaria control initiatives, through community mobilization, awareness campaigns, and the distribution of Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs), directly address climate-related health challenges that disproportionately affect women.
“Our wells and boreholes, constructed for communities, schools, and prisons, are not only about providing clean water; they are acts of sustainability. Our agricultural projects, from fish farming and cattle breeding to cassava processing and goat rearing, are not only about food and income. They represent grassroots models of sustainable livelihoods that strengthen food security and resilience.
“Through skill acquisition centres, women and youth are trained in producing household goods for empowerment. These initiatives reduce poverty, build resilience, and create a generation of women capable of sustaining themselves and their families even under environmental and economic stress.”
In her address at the formal opening, Alhaja Idowu Sanni tasked members of FOMWAN to contribute and engage meaningfully at the conference.
“Let us use these days to strategise, collaborate, and commit to actions that will continue to leave a lasting positive impact on our environment and our communities,” she said.
The Amirah noted that the conference came at a crucial time when the world needs the wisdom, compassion, and leadership that Muslim women can contribute to the ongoing conversation on climate change and resilience.
She said, “We are not just participants in the global conversation about climate resilience, community development, and sustainability; Muslim women are changemakers and innovators who understand that sustaining Allah’s creation is both a trust and a sacred responsibility.
“The Prophet ﷺ said: If the Hour (the Day of Resurrection) is about to be established and one of you is holding a sapling, let him plant it. (Aḥmad)
“This Hadith is a timeless reminder that no effort toward sustainability is too small, and that planting hope, literally and figuratively, is part of our duty until the end of time.”
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