Women's Empowerment Vital for Nigeria's Economic Growth

Abubakar Bagudu, the Minister, delivered a keynote address at the World Bank Group's Women Empowerment Policy Job Forum in Abuja on Tuesday, where he made a strong case for women's empowerment as essential to Nigeria's economic growth. He emphasized that empowering women can significantly increase productivity and unlock opportunities in the job market.

Bagudu pointed out that women in Nigeria are deeply engaged in economic activities, including farming and small-scale production, yet their contributions remain largely undervalued. He noted that women face structural challenges such as limited access to finance, inadequate market access, and insufficient infrastructure, which lead to low returns despite long hours of labor.

He stressed the need for a strategic shift from subsistence-level activities to product-driven enterprises and called for investments to improve productivity processes. Bagudu stated that President Bola Tinubu's administration is already addressing these impediments through decentralized development plans aimed at boosting local economies across Nigeria's 8,809 wards, providing targeted support for women entrepreneurs.