NAWOJ Seeks Stronger Partnership with China to Support Media Development and Women’s Empowerment

By Zainab Uzomah

The Federal Capital Territory chapter of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) has sought closer collaboration with the Chinese Embassy in Abuja, aiming to enhance media capacity and widen support for women’s development initiatives.

The call was made during a courtesy visit by the association’s leadership, led by its chairperson, Bassey Ita-Ikpang. The delegation was received by the Chinese Ambassador and senior embassy officials.

The Ambassador said the embassy had maintained longstanding relations with the Nigerian media but noted that this was the first formal engagement with NAWOJ as an independent professional group. She praised the initiative and asked the association to outline its expectations for a partnership.

Mrs Ita-Ikpang described the FCT chapter as a network of more than 350 practising female journalists working across print, broadcast and digital platforms. She said the group played a notable role in communicating development issues and linking government policies with grassroots communities.

She highlighted NAWOJ’s work in areas such as maternal and child health, girl-child education and social inclusion, and requested Chinese support to expand its programmes. The initiatives proposed include specialised training for female journalists, opportunities to study media innovation in China, and the inclusion of at least 20 NAWOJ members in forthcoming media fellowship schemes.

Responding on behalf of the embassy, a senior official reaffirmed China’s commitment to promoting gender equality. He referenced global commitments announced at the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women in Beijing in 2025, including financial support to UN Women, development funding for women-centred projects, and training opportunities for 50,000 women worldwide.

He said Nigerian women journalists could be integrated into some of these initiatives, and the embassy would explore ways to include NAWOJ in its global capacity-building programmes.

Mrs Ita-Ikpang assured the embassy of NAWOJ’s continued support through balanced, development-oriented reporting. Both sides expressed optimism that closer cooperation would strengthen people-to-people ties and improve opportunities for women and girls in the FCT.