Two-year MoU targets media advocacy, women empowerment, value-chain development, innovation and capacity building
Chioma Vivian James/ABUJA, September 7, 2026 .
A new partnership between the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) and the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), FCT Chapter, is set to give greater visibility to Nigeria’s raw materials sector while strengthening the role of women in industrial and economic development.
The two organisations sealed the partnership in Abuja on Monday with the signing of a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) designed to deepen media advocacy, public awareness and visibility of RMRDC’s programmes and interventions.
The agreement also focuses on women empowerment, raw materials processing and value-chain development, as well as capacity building in raw materials processing and product development.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, NAWOJ FCT Chairperson, Comrade Bassey Ita-Ikpang, described the agreement as the beginning of a strategic partnership capable of transforming the way Nigerians understand and engage with the country’s raw materials development agenda.
She said women journalists possess a powerful platform for shaping public opinion, influencing policy conversations and driving development through credible information.
According to her, NAWOJ FCT would deploy its media platforms to tell stories that not only inform and educate the public but also highlight opportunities created through Nigeria’s raw materials sector.
Ita-Ikpang said the association would particularly seek to amplify initiatives capable of creating sustainable economic opportunities for women, while promoting greater awareness of the importance of local raw materials, value addition, innovation and industrialisation.
She commended the management of RMRDC for recognising the strategic role of women journalists in development communication and pledged the commitment of NAWOJ FCT to ensuring that the partnership delivers tangible benefits.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director of the RMRDC Gender and Mainstreaming and Disability Unit, Dr. Grace Abidoye, said the partnership would provide an important platform for expanding awareness of the Council’s programmes and taking its interventions to wider audiences.
Abidoye stressed the importance of collaboration with NAWOJ in promoting initiatives that empower women, encourage value addition and contribute to Nigeria’s broader development objectives.
She noted that effective communication and sustained public awareness were essential to ensuring that Nigerians, particularly women and young entrepreneurs, were able to understand and take advantage of opportunities within the raw materials value chain.
However, RMRDC Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, challenged both organisations to ensure that the MoU goes beyond the ceremony and produces measurable results.
Ike-Muonso urged the RMRDC Gender Department and NAWOJ FCT, which he described as the principal users of the agreement, to give the partnership “a teeth” by developing concrete projects with clear targets and measurable outcomes.
He emphasised that the real value of the agreement would be determined by what both organisations were able to achieve after the signing.
The RMRDC helmsman said the partnership must translate into practical programmes that harness the respective strengths of the Council and NAWOJ for the benefit of Nigerians.
Earlier, a representative of the RMRDC Director of Legal and Board Services, Mr. Idaopu Wakama, explained that the MoU provides the formal framework for collaboration between the two organisations.
He said the agreement covers media advocacy and public awareness, women empowerment, raw materials processing and value-chain development, as well as capacity building in raw materials processing and product development.
The agreement will run for an initial period of two years and may be renewed by mutual agreement between the parties.
Beyond increasing the visibility of RMRDC’s programmes and interventions, the partnership is expected to strengthen the capacity of women journalists to report more extensively on industrial development, innovation, raw materials utilisation, value addition and economic empowerment.
For NAWOJ FCT, the agreement represents an opportunity to place women and their contributions to Nigeria’s industrial development more prominently in the national conversation.
For RMRDC, it provides an additional channel to connect its programmes and interventions with the wider public through a network of professional women journalists.
Ultimately, the success of the partnership will depend on its ability to move from paper to practice—turning media advocacy into greater public awareness, raw materials development into value-added opportunities, and women empowerment into measurable economic impact.
