WOMEN ALIGNED FOR GROWTH WAG CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY 2026
CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
8TH MARCH 2026
Women Aligned for Growth (WAG) warmly congratulates all women in Nigeria and across the world on the celebration of International Women’s Day 2026.
We also commend the passion and commitment of the United Nations in continuously advocating for the improvement of the lives of women and girls globally.
Every year, we gather to reflect on the themes released by the United Nations, focusing on improving women’s rights and justice, reducing gender violence, abuse, and the disinheritance of women and girls.
We also focus on increasing the number of women and girls who are empowered to become self-reliant and to participate in political leadership by contesting and winning elections to become leaders in both the political and public sectors.
We continue to push for stronger advocacy, increased funding, and greater inclusion for women and girls.
These are all commendable steps that will help us achieve our desired outcomes.
However, an important question remains: Are women and girls ready to seize these opportunities and become assets to their world?
The reality is that millions of women, men, girls, and boys are living below the standards that God has ordained for them.
Our educational and parenting systems often focus primarily on formal certifications while neglecting the vital life lessons that equip women, girls, men, and boys with the capacity and competence to become leaders within their spheres of influence.
Women are the bedrock of most families. Therefore, the quality of the woman greatly influences the quality and stability of the family.
One major challenge we face as a society is that we have millions of people with formal academic qualifications but lacking other vital life certifications that enable them to make empowering choices and become assets to themselves and to society.
Traditionally, men are expected to be spiritual leaders in their homes. Unfortunately, many lack the spiritual, mental, and emotional maturity required to effectively lead their families.
For this reason, a key strategy for true empowerment must involve training women, men, and youths to acquire essential life certifications that will enable them to become responsible leaders in their spheres of influence.
These vital life certifications include:
Spiritual power and authority
Positive mindset and attitude
Vibrant health
Relationship and marriage-building skills
Financial freedom and financial intelligence
Discovering, understanding, and living one’s purpose
Wisdom and practical common sense
Inner contentment, happiness, peace, kindness, love, humility, gratitude, honesty, transparency, integrity, compassion, empathy, passion, and impact
Determination, focus, strength, resilience, consistency, and continuity
Leadership, stress coping and conflict resolution skills
Becoming beautiful or handsome inside-out
Individuals who acquire these values and skills are better positioned to take advantage of empowerment opportunities available to them.
They move away from superficial thinking to deeper, critical thinking.
They prioritize what truly matters and make empowering choices that lead to empowering lives.
They strive to remain grounded in their faith, living more in the spirit and less in the flesh. They become intentional about their beliefs, thoughts, feelings, words, decisions, and actions.
They consider the consequences of their choices and ask themselves whether their actions are building or destroying lives.
They move away from impulsive reactions and adopt a critical-thinking mindset.
They also recognize that marriage is not an identity. They understand that happiness is an inside job. While a spouse can contribute to one’s happiness, no individual should determine another person’s happiness.
Such individuals learn to set healthy boundaries, practice non-combative communication, and develop stress-management and conflict-resolution skills. They are able to de-escalate conflicts and reduce toxicity and abuse within relationships.
We deeply appreciate single women, widows, and divorcees who have become successful and impactful because they are determined to build genuine success.
Women and girls who possess these life certifications do not compete with others. They are not defined by societal or cultural expectations. Instead, they are driven to add value, show up with purpose, and live passionate and impactful lives.
Women Aligned for Growth (WAG), a character-rebuilding and social-change NGO that I chair, is committed to encouraging women, men, and youths to adopt the Growth Mindset and Integrative Lifestyle as a sustainable strategic roadmap for acquiring these vital life certifications.
The Growth Mindset and Integrative Lifestyle Academy has also established the VPPI – Leadership Mentorship Community, Vibrant passionate patriotic and impactful leadership mentorship Community which provides training and skills in leadership development, stress management, conflict resolution, relationship and marriage building, chronic disease prevention, and vibrant health.
Through these initiatives, individuals are equipped to show up with optimism, energy, passion, and impact, ready to seize opportunities created through various empowerment programs for women and youths.
No woman should be abused or denied her inheritance.
Women must treat one another with love, respect, compassion, and empathy.
Men must also rise to their responsibilities as supportive husbands, fathers, and allies, treating the women in their lives with dignity, encouragement, and respect so that they can thrive.
Leaders, decision-makers, and influencers are ultimately individuals. Therefore, transformation begins with individuals.
As the mantra of Women Aligned for Growth (WAG) states:
Love. Passion. Align. Empower. Impact.
I change. You change. We grow. Society transforms.
We must adopt a critical-thinking, sustainable strategic roadmap that begins with personal development, leadership training, and growth education, while also providing access to quality education and healthcare for vulnerable women and youths.
Women Aligned for Growth (WAG) is sending a me ssage of hope to women and grils experiecing violence ,abuse and disinheritance. We are also passionate about collaborating with other gender sensitive organisations to grow the WAG / DIAFRICA / NIIA 10 BILLION WOMEN AND YOUTH IMPACT FUND that will enable us upscale women and youth impact in Nigeria
The VPPI- Leadership mentorship community will also provide profound knowledge strategies and skills to enable individuals acquire capacity and competence to be leaders in their spheres of influence to become assets to their world
Spiritually, mentally, and emotionally mature individuals are naturally inclined to support initiatives that empower women and youths.
Women Aligned for Growth is ready to collaborate with the United Nations and other interested organizations to convene a critical-thinking, sustainable strategic summit that will develop actionable strategies for maximizing women’s and youths’ impact in society.
Such strategies will also help strengthen citizenship and leadership capacity in Nigeria, enabling the nation to truly become the Giant of Africa, as ordained by God.
Happy International Women’s Day 2026.
Dr. Ifeyinwa Nwakwesi, MBBS
Growth Mindset and Integrative Lifestyle Specialist
Executive Chair, Growth Mindset and Integrative Lifestyle Academy
Executive Chair, Women Aligned for Growth (WAG)
Executive Chair, Enugwu-Ukwu Daughters Community Development Initiative (EDCDI)
Member, Ogbunike Progress Union Women’s Wing
Member, Iyom Umumefor Azu Ogbunike
Member, Ogbunike Chamber of Commerce
Initiator, VPPI Leadership Mentorship Community
Initiator, Impactful Patriarchs and Matriarchs Foundation
Nene Lanval
Head WAG Public/ private sector Collaborations Committee
Ann Olaide Vincent
Head WAG Empowering Conversations Committee