Weeks after the historic Gombe Women’s Unity and Progress Summit, the impact of the initiative is increasingly being felt across communities, with thousands of women who attended the gathering taking its message of unity, empowerment and progress into their homes and neighbourhoods.
The first-ever summit, convened by Dr. Zainab Jamil Gwamna, wife of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Gombe State, brought about 6,000 women from the state’s 11 Local Government Areas and 13 Local Council Development Areas.
Rather than ending with the conclusion of the event, the summit has evolved into a grassroots mobilisation effort, with participants stepping down its messages and commitments within their respective communities and engaging families, neighbours and friends.
According to Danjuma Kala, former Secretary General, NUJ Gombe State Council, the development demonstrates that the summit has grown beyond a one-day gathering into a wider grassroots movement.
“Stakeholders across the state are beginning to see the significance of what happened at the summit. What makes it different is that the women did not return home simply as participants; they returned as people with a message to share within their families and communities,” Kala said.
The emerging step-down activities have given the summit a wider reach, with participants turning their homes and local networks into platforms for conversations around women’s empowerment, family development, civic participation and the importance of contributing to the progress of Gombe State.
For many participants, the summit has also strengthened their sense of responsibility as women who can influence conversations and decisions within their families and communities. They are increasingly seeing themselves not only as voters, but also as mothers, entrepreneurs, professionals, community influencers and grassroots mobilisers.
The growing activities are attracting attention within APC circles, where the women’s mobilisation is being viewed as an important addition to the party’s grassroots structure ahead of the 2027 elections. Their influence within households and communities gives them a significant role in shaping political conversations and encouraging participation.
According to Danjuma Kala, APC would continue to encourage constructive engagement with women across the state, noting that the objective was to strengthen communities while sustaining conversations around development and the future of Gombe state.
