By Victoria Onehi
Nigerian women face enormous challenges in their bid towards economic participation a Research conducted by Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (EFInA) has revealed.
The Research was commissioned by the development Research and Project Centre (dRPC) under the Partnership for Advancing Women in Economic Development (PAWED) project.
Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the research had 11 Women Economic Collective leaders from Kano, Kwara, Bauchi, Lagos, Edo, and Enugu who contributed insights to the research.
The report from the Research will be presented at a webinar on Tuesday July 20th to stakeholders comprising of government officials, community of practice , donor agencies and the media
A statement signed by National Coordinator, PAWED coalition Barrister Vera Ndanusa, disclosed that the research was commissioned to assess women economic empowerment in Nigeria focusing on women’s access and use of financial services as well as highlighting opportunities for women’s economic empowerment
‘ The scope of women’s economic empowerment in this report is on , socio-economic activities (income, education & technology use), access to resources (physical, social and financial), access to and use of financial services, financial health and capability, autonomy, and participation in community. ” She said
She added that the insights shared in the report is based on secondary data analysis using the Access to Financial Services in Nigeria 2020 survey dataset, desk research, and key informant interviews with women economic collective leaders across interest states in Nigeria.
‘’Women generally lack knowledge of the financial options available to them., and the Nigerian women are predominantly business owners and significantly under-represented in formal salaried wage employment.’’ She added
Accordingly, the researchers recommends that government should enforce policies and social protection systems for women like pensions, unemployment benefits, maternity protection, and equal pay, revise, adopt, and enforce legislation that mandates equality of rights and opportunities for women.
