Toun Okewale-Sonaiya Has Spent a Decade Building a Bigger Platform for Nigerian Women

Ten years ago, Toun Okewale-Sonaiya set out to create more space for Nigerian women to speak, be heard and participate in conversations that affect their lives. A decade later, the platform she built is preparing to mark its 10th anniversary with a renewed focus on women’s leadership, economic empowerment and participation.

Okewale-Sonaiya is the Executive Director of the Voice of Women Empowerment Foundation (VOWEF), which organises the annual Voice of Women Conference and Awards in partnership with Women Radio WFM 91.7.

The 2026 edition, scheduled for October 6 in Lagos, is themed “A Decade of Voices and Impact” and will bring together women leaders, entrepreneurs, grassroots women, students, civil society organisations, development partners and advocates from across Nigeria.

But for Okewale-Sonaiya, the anniversary is not simply a celebration of how far the platform has come. It is an opportunity to consider what the next decade should look like for Nigerian women.

Over the past 10 years, the Voice of Women platform has created space for conversations around women’s leadership, empowerment, families, participation and social development. Its activities have connected women from different generations and backgrounds, from established leaders and entrepreneurs to young women and grassroots advocates.

That intergenerational approach will remain central to this year’s programme.

One of the major conversations at VOW2026 will bring women at different stages of their lives and careers together to examine how experience, fresh perspectives and collective action can create stronger opportunities for women and girls.

The organisation is also placing greater emphasis on turning conversations into practical opportunities.

As part of the 2026 programme, Asha Microfinance Bank is expected to provide grants to 10 women, giving selected beneficiaries financial support to pursue their economic goals.

For a platform that has spent years creating visibility for women’s issues, that shift from conversation to tangible opportunity is significant.

Economic independence remains an important part of women’s empowerment. Access to capital, business knowledge, professional networks and platforms for visibility can influence whether women are able to start businesses, expand existing enterprises or create more sustainable livelihoods.

VOWEF’s work is therefore increasingly positioned around both voice and opportunity: giving women platforms to contribute to important conversations while creating pathways through which some of those conversations can translate into action.

The organisation is also deliberately looking beyond established women leaders.

Aisha Sanni, Programmes Manager at VOWEF, said the organisation wants its next phase to reach more young women and women whose voices are often absent from national conversations.

That focus could become particularly important as a new generation of Nigerian women enters the workforce, starts businesses and takes on leadership responsibilities.

For Okewale-Sonaiya, the challenge is not simply to celebrate the women who have already made their mark. It is to create platforms through which more women can develop the confidence, networks and opportunities to make their own contributions.

The 10th Voice of Women Conference will therefore extend beyond the physical venue in Lagos, with organisers planning television, radio and digital broadcasts to allow women and audiences across Nigeria and beyond to participate.

Over a decade, the platform has evolved from a space for women’s conversations into a broader ecosystem around advocacy, leadership, recognition and empowerment.

Its next chapter is now about reach.

Okewale-Sonaiya and her team want to take the conversation further — from established women leaders to young women, from major cities to grassroots communities, and from visibility to practical opportunities.

After ten years of creating space for women to speak, the bigger question for the next decade may be what those voices can build when they are matched with access, resources and opportunities.

For VOWEF, that is the work ahead: not simply giving women a platform, but helping create the conditions in which more women can use their voices to shape their careers, communities and futures.