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Only one in three entry-level roles in Nigeria’s formal private sector is held by a woman, McKinsey Women in the Workplace 2025 report has revealed.
The report also discloses that women who rise to senior roles are 30% more likely to exit within a year, often due to lack of support and rigid workplace policies.
77% of CEOs cite gender equity as a priority, only 33% of companies track promotion data by gender, all pointing at the fact that progress has stalled despite a decade of gender inclusion pledges.
Launched on Africa’s Women’s Day in Lagos’ financial district, the campaign featured a bicycle-powered storytelling activation is also amplified online through #LevelTheField.
In response to this, Gatefield, Impact Foundation, has launched a new campaign dubbed, “Fair Start” to get Nigerian employers to take bold, measurable steps to close the gender gap and dismantle systemic barriers in the workplace.
The launch featured prominent Nigerian professionals and business leaders, spotlighting the persistent exclusion of women from entry-level roles to the executive suite.
Mayowa Kuyoro, Partner at McKinsey & Company Nigeria said: “One of the things that we need to do in our corporate workplaces in Nigeria is to build systems that help to retain women.”
In her view, Amina Oyagbola, Board Chair, Afrobarometer, said, “We know what works, now we need leadership. Track gender outcomes, publish the data, [and] build systems that include, rather than exclude.”
For the Managing Director, Nigeria Health Watch, Vivianne Ihekweazu, “The evidence is clear. Policies alone do not level the field. Systems do. We need to build systems that track gender data from entry level to executive roles.”
Fola Olatunji-David, Partner, KickOff Africa pointed attention to a more worrisome dimension. “Women aren’t just missing at the top, they are being filtered out before they even get the chance.”
Fair Start seeks employers to hire more women, especially into entry- and mid-level roles to strengthen leadership pipelines, while also building structured promotion pathways with mentorship, sponsorship, and transparent advancement criteria.
The campaign also wants employers to track gender-disaggregated data on hiring, promotions, and exits—and act on the findings.
It equally seeks the design of inclusive workplaces with caregiver-friendly and flexible policies while also making leadership accountable by linking gender equity to performance reviews and executive KPIs.
Narrative Practice Lead at Gatefield, Christinah Akintoye, said, “We created Fair Start to show what’s possible when equity is embedded by design, not added on as an afterthought. This is an invitation to employers to lead boldly, measure what matters, and unlock the full value of talent.”
By Alfred Ajayi
