FACTSHEET ON WOMEN, LABOUR AND ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT

WOMEN IN LABOUR

• There are more men (39.5million) than women (30.1million) in the total labour force[1]
• The total women labour force participation declined by 2.5% from 45.5% in 2019[2] to 43% in 2020[3].
• About 40.5% (12.2miilion) of women among the total female labour force were fully employed in 2020. In the same year, 46.3% (18.3million) of men out of the total male labour force gained full employment[4]
• 35% of women out of the total women labour force are idle and currently not economically productive as against 31.8% for men[5]
• As a result of covid-19 pandemic, 98% of women-owned businesses in Nigeria either scaled back or shut down[6]
• 8% of workers engaged in insecure low-paying jobs in Nigeria are women[7]
• Women spent on average 80 minutes each day collecting water and complained of feeling exhausted as a result[8]

WOMEN IN DIFFERENT SECTORS

• Women own only 20 percent of enterprises in the formal sector in Nigeria.[9]
• Women’s share in the composition of the board of directors of listed companies in Nigeria is 19% even though 49.9% of total population are women[10]
• 23% of women are engaged in the formal sector while the majority (77%) of thewomen tend to work in the informal sector (PwC, 2020)
• Female participation in agriculture is about 60 percent to 80 percent and dominate agriculture-processing, legumes and vegetables, raise poultry and small ruminants[11]
• Women participation in the agricultural sector have dropped from 43% in the year 2000 to 26% in 2018
• Women participation in the industrial sector have dropped from 12.3% in the year 2000 to 12% in 2018.
• Women participation in the services sector have increased from 43.7% in the year 2000 to 61.6% in 2018
• Women have a marginal advantage over men in terms of employment are education sector (38.9%) compared to 14.4% for men,
• 7% of women are employed in the health sector compared to 3.5% for men[12].
• Men outnumbered women in the Mining/Construction sector by almost 10 times (11% for men to just 1.3% for women)
• Ten percent (10%) of men are engaged in the Transport sector compared to just 0.5% for women.
• In the Electricity sector, only 0.7% of women are engaged in this sector compared to 2.3% for men

WOMEN ACCESS TO FINANCE IN NIGERIA

• The number of women who can access financial services is 49.9million, a little bit higher than 49.7million for men[13].
• 4 million (59%) of women are financially included, while about 67% of men are financially included. Leaving 41% of women financially excluded and 33% of men financially excluded (a gender gap of 8.5%)[14].
• 20million women do not use any form of financial service or products[15].
• Twice as many men as women are likely to have a pension product (10.6% of men, 5.4% of women).
• Only 1% Of women have at least 1 insurance policy[16].
• Regional disparity in access to fund by women is as huge as 70%
• About 13.2% of the women in agriculture have access to resources including land, loan, financial services and bank account compared to 86.8% of men[17]. They also have limited ownership and control over resources, particularly farming inputs which impact their ability to develop and sustain agribusiness. Indeed, less than 10% of Nigerian women own land[18].
• 8% of the women in agriculture have access to services compared to 92% of men.[19]
• There is serious evidence of wage and income disparities among the gender in Nigeria industrial sector. Only 6.8% of workforce where salaries were paid are women whereas 93.2% are male who enjoyed salaries in mining companies.[20]
• 31% of women use informal financial services compared to 29% of men[21]
• 13% of women use savings/thrift collectors as their financial service providers while 8% of women source funds from savings groups[22].
• Five percent (5%) of women uses village savings and loan association, 2% uses cooperative society and just 1% apply for loan from microfinance institutions[23]

NUMBER OF GOVERNMENTS FUNDED PROGRAMS THAT TARGET WECs

• There are seven key projects targeting Women Economic Collectives (WECs) in the 2022 FGN budget estimates amounting to N13.31 billion. This constitutes 36.51% of allocation for women-core Women Economic Empowerment (WEE)projects and 12.86% women-plus-others WEE projects.[24]
• The sum of N103.49 billion was approved for WEE projects in the 2022 FGN budget estimates.[25]
• The percentage allocated to WEE is 1.89% of the total federal government capital budget expenditure and 0.60% of its total approved budget size.
•  The budgetary allocation to WEE in the approved 2022 is by 101.61% compared to the 2021 budget.
• The total of women-core projects increased from 118 to 164 in 2022, the total women-plus-others WEE project increased from 527 to 774 in 2022. This shows 39% and 47% increase respectively.
• The overall WEE projects increased from 645 in 2021 to 938 in 2022[26].
• The Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development has the highest WEE funding in 2022. While retaining its 2021 position, about N33.18 billion (N19 billion or 136% increase) was allocated against the N14.03 billion in 2021. The allocation represents 32% of the total WEE budgetary allocation for the year 2022. [27]
• The Ministry of Women Affairs has the second highest funding in 2022 fiscal year with N18.82 billion (N13.38 billion or 245% increase), Education with N14.17 billion (N13.27 billion or 1,474% increase), Labour and Employment N10.47 billion (N1.92 billion or 22.52% increase), Industry, Trade and Investment N5.6 billion (N1.9 billion or -25.37% decrease) from the 2021 budgetary allocation[28].
• 60% of Agricultural Labour Force is Supplied by Women Smallholder Farmers, Yet Budget allocation For Women-Specific Projects in 2022 FMARD Budget is Just 1.3%.[29]
• The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment has a sum of N99 million for the supply of processing equipment for vulnerable women multi-purpose cooperatives in the six (6) geopolitical zone in 2022 fiscal year.[30]
• Only 2.6% of the total Constituency Development Fund (CDF) goes to women specific WEE projects in 2021.[31]

BENEFIT OF INVESTING IN WOMEN’S ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT

• Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP) could grow by 23 percent($229 billion) by 2025 if women participated in the economy to the same extent as men[32]
• When women are given the same access to productive resources as men, on average they could increase yields on their farms by 20–30 percent[33].
• A percentage increase in finance for women will cause entrepreneurship to improve by 1.60 percent[34].
• Women who receive business and money management programs trainings earn on average 27 percent more than other women in developing countries including Nigeria[35].
• Investment in women’s groups is estimated to yield benefits ranging from $2 to $17 for every dollar spent through literacy and life skills training, business development and livelihoods initiatives[36]
• Ending child marriage could yield $7.6 billion in additional earnings and productivity for Nigeria[37]
• If Nigeria reduced gender inequality both in the labor market and in political representation; in education; in legal rights; and also, by improving health outcomes for women, the economy could grow on average by as much as 1.25 percentage points more”[38].

[1]NBS (2021): Labour Force Statistics, Unemployment and Under-Employment by State – Q4 2020 page 33 & 34

[2] World Bank Economic Outlook 2019.

[3] NBS (2021): Labour Force Statistics, Unemployment and Under-Employment by State – Q4 2020 page 33 & 34

[4] NBS (2021): Labour Force Statistics, Unemployment and Under-Employment by State – Q4 2020 page 34

[5]NBS (2021): Labour Force Statistics, Unemployment and Under-Employment by State – Q4 2020 page 34

[6]Un Women Nigeria (2020): Annual Report 2020: Changing The Lives Of Women And Girls In Nigeria. Page 15

[7] Un Women Nigeria (2020): Annual Report 2020: Changing The Lives Of Women And Girls In Nigeria. Page 11

[8] https://interactions.eldis.org/unpaid-care-work/country-profiles/nigeria

[9]Pwc (2020). Impact of Women on Nigeria’s Economy. Page 4. https://www.pwc.com/ng/en/assets/pdf/impact-of-women-nigeria-economy.pdf

[10]Pwc (2020). Impact Of Women On Nigeria’s Economy. Page 15. Https://Www.Pwc.Com/Ng/En/Assets/Pdf/Impact-Of-Women-Nigeria-Economy.Pdf

[11]Islamic Development Bank (2019): Country Gender profile Nigeria. Page 5 https://www.isdb.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/2020-09/Nigeria%20Gender.pdf

[12] NBS’s Nigeria Living Standards Survey – 2018/2019 page 55 and 56

[13] Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (2018): Access to Financial Services in Nigeria 2018 Survey. Available at: https://www.efina.org.ng/our-work/research/access/ page 8

[14] Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (2018): Access to Financial Services in Nigeria 2018 Survey. Available at: https://www.efina.org.ng/our-work/research/access/ page 8

[15] (EFInA, 2018:54)

[16]EFInA, Access to Financial Services in Nigeria2008/2018 surveys page 41

[17] FAO and ECOWAS Commission. 2018. National Gender Profile of Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods – Nigeria. Country Gender Assessment Series, Abuja page 28

[18] FAO and ECOWAS Commission. 2018. National Gender Profile of Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods – Nigeria. Country Gender Assessment Series, Abuja page 34. See also Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, 2018 page 394.

[19] FAO and ECOWAS Commission. 2018. National Gender Profile of Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods – Nigeria. Country Gender Assessment Series, Abuja. page 28

[20]Women make only 6.8% of Nigeria’s extractive sector workforce – Premium Times Nigeria (premiumtimesng.com)

[21] Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (2018): Access to Financial Services in Nigeria 2018 Survey. Available at: https://www.efina.org.ng/our-work/research/access/ page 45

[22]Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (2018): Access to Financial Services in Nigeria 2018 Survey. Available at: https://www.efina.org.ng/our-work/research/access/ page 45

[23]Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (2018): Access to Financial Services in Nigeria 2018 Survey. Available at: https://www.efina.org.ng/our-work/research/access/ page 45

[24]Federal Government of Nigeria Women’s Economic Empowerment 2022 Budget Analysis – dRPC (drpcngr.org)

[25]Federal Government of Nigeria Women’s Economic Empowerment 2022 Budget Analysis – dRPC (drpcngr.org)

[26]Federal Government of Nigeria Women’s Economic Empowerment 2022 Budget Analysis – dRPC (drpcngr.org)

[27]Federal Government of Nigeria Women’s Economic Empowerment 2022 Budget Analysis – dRPC (drpcngr.org)

[28]Federal Government of Nigeria Women’s Economic Empowerment 2022 Budget Analysis – dRPC (drpcngr.org)

[29]Federal Government of Nigeria Women’s Economic Empowerment 2022 Budget Analysis – dRPC (drpcngr.org)

[30] FGN Approved 2022 Budget Estimate

[31]Federal Government of Nigeria Women’s Economic Empowerment 2022 Budget Analysis – dRPC (drpcngr.org)

[32]Growing Economies Through Gender Parity: Nigeria. https://www.cfr.org/womens-participation-in-global-economy/?utm_medium=direct&utm_source=postcards&utm_campaign=gender-parity-postcards

[33] FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). 2011. “State of Food and Agriculture – Women and Agriculture: Closing the Gender Gap for Development.” Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

[34] Olukayode, Russell, and Christopher Somoye. 2013. “The Impact of Finance on Entrepreneurship Growth Nigeria: A Cointegration Framework.” ACRN Journal of Entrepreneurship Perspectives 2 (2): 21–45. ISSN 2224-9729

[35]World Bank (2014): “Entrepreneurship Education and Training Programs around the World – Dimensions for Success.” Directions in Development.

[36] Case Study: Nigeria Funding for Gender Equality And The Empowerment Of Women And Girls In Humanitarian Programming. Page 11 https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/GEEWG_UN_Women_Nigeria_new.pdf

[37] Case Study: Nigeria Funding For Gender Equality And The Empowerment Of Women And Girls In Humanitarian Programming. Page 11 https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/GEEWG_UN_Women_Nigeria_new.pdf

[38] IMF (2018): Transcript of podcast with Monique Newiak: “Good for Women, Good for Growth: Closing Nigeria’s Gender Gap”