Female empowerment in Nigeria

Female empowerment in Nigeria is an economic process that involves empowering Nigerian women as a poverty reduction measure.

[7] Lynne Featherstone has said that "High rates of maternal mortality and violence against women make Nigeria one of the toughest places in the world to be born a girl".

[7] The population census conducted in 1991 by the Federal Government of Nigeria found that 61% (41 million) of Nigerian women "suffer from intellectual poverty".

[10] In urban areas of Nigeria, more empowered women are significantly more likely to use modern contraception, deliver in a health facility, and have a skilled attendant at birth.

Female autonomy is significantly associated with modern contraceptive use among married women in northern Nigeria, despite the region's conservative and traditional societal norms.

[12] Specifically, economic freedom, attitudes against domestic violence, and greater decision-making autonomy were positively associated with these reproductive health outcomes.

However, these effects varied by region, with the strongest associations observed in northern cities in Nigeria, highlighting the importance of context-specific strategies to improve gender equality in health.

[15] In their patrilineal system, the Igbo people of Nigeria's south-eastern region pass succession and inheritance rights down to the male progeny.

It is typically the closest relatives - the father, brothers, husband, and brothers-in-law - who easily violate women's rights, from the time of birth through adolescence to married life and widowhood.

[19][20][21][22][23] They have limited access to land, credit facilities, training, and advice for farm inputs, technology, and crop insurance, among other things, despite all of their massive contributions to this sector.

According to estimates, women could considerably help accomplish Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1(eradicating extreme poverty and hunger), if they had access to capital, land, technology, and training guidance on par with men.

[24] USAID says that empowering women to own and manage their land and produce is the first step toward ensuring Nigeria's future food security.

Thousands of women farmers are receiving the tools, information, and resources they need to increase their incomes and the lives of their families and communities thanks to a partnership between Feed the Future and the Nigerian Trade Hub.

[25] Gender mainstreaming is recommended in Africa, including Nigeria, for agricultural policies and programs for inclusive financing for food security and sustainable development, as women dominate and play major roles in producing subsistence crops and livestock.