Wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Tuesday played host to the Russian Chapter of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance at the State House in Abuja, where she declared Nigeria as a fertile ground for global partnerships as well as a dependable ally of the BRICS bloc.
Speaking while welcoming the delegation led by Chairperson of the Alliance, Anna Nesterova, the First Lady described Nigeria as “a very interesting place that you will find rewarding for partnerships.”
Mrs Tinubu assured the visitors of her office’s continued advocacy for women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship while clarifying the statutory role of government ministries in driving concrete economic engagements.
According to her: “My office will continue to provide advocacy and encouragement, but the ministries have the statutory responsibilities and budgets to support your mission.
“I do a lot of programmes through my foundation, but when it comes to women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship, the ministries are the right partners. My role is to complement, advise, and facilitate”
She enumerated her humanitarian work through the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), noting personal commitments to education, women, and children.
Mrs Tinubu recalled dedicating her 65th birthday towards fundraising for a national library project and announced plans to distribute sanitary kits to schoolgirls in Gombe State as part of her outreach to rural communities.
Earlier in her remarks, Nesterova praised the First Lady as “an incredible woman who not only changes lives for the better but also paves the way for a prosperous future for the Nigerian people.”
She hinted of plans by the Alliance to establish a regional office in Nigeria to serve as a gateway for women entrepreneurs into international markets.
Nesterova also announced a donation of 1,000 labour and delivery kits to support maternal health in Nigeria, while highlighting the Alliance’s global reach: “Our Common Digital Platform currently connects more than 3,000 businesswomen from 60 countries, and last year, the BRICS Women’s Startups Contest attracted 50 applications from Nigeria alone.”
The Russian delegation included senior executives and academics such as Ms. Liudmila Shcherbakova of VET PHARM Group, Ms. Natalia Vershinina of United Migration Center, Prof. Liudmila Popova of Orel State University, and Ms. Anna Meshcheryakova of Third Opinion AI.
They expressed readiness to collaborate in areas ranging from pharmaceuticals and labour mobility to financial literacy and AI-driven healthcare solutions.
Following the courtesy call, the visitors joined Nigerian officials at a technical session in the State House Banquet Hall which focused on “Strengthening Bilateral Ties and Exploring Investment Opportunities between Nigeria and Russia.”
On her part, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, described the engagement as a new chapter in Nigeria–Russia relations.
“This gathering must go beyond symbolism. It should deliver actionable frameworks for cooperation, joint ventures, and enduring networks between Nigerian and Russian women entrepreneurs”, she said.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu linked the talks to President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope foreign policy agenda, stressing that empowering women is “not just a moral duty but a strategic investment in national growth and stability.”
Also speaking, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, recalled over six decades of Nigeria-Russia cooperation in education, technology, defence, and energy.
She noted that Nigerian women own over 40 percent of small and medium enterprises and constitute nearly 39 percent of registered exporters.
“With Nigeria’s demographic strength and entrepreneurial dynamism, and Russia’s technological expertise, our two nations can pursue mutually beneficial partnerships in agriculture, food security, mining, energy, the digital economy, and healthcare,” Oduwole said.
She underscored Nigeria’s gateway role under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), offering investors access to a $3 trillion market of 1.3 billion people.
Other speakers included the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulieman-Ibrahim, and her Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy counterpart, Dr. Bosun Tijani, who both stressed the importance of women and youth in driving innovation and inclusive growth.
Deji Elumoye
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