National Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy and Action Plan

Abstract

The Federal Republic of Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and arguably the continent’s most symbolic and influential nation on the world stage. The country’s 211 million people–of which 101.6 million are women and girls–make it the most populous and most diverse. Given its strategic importance, Nigeria ought to score high on most development indices; the reverse is the case. The National Bureau of Statistics’ MPI survey results showed that 133 million Nigerians are multi-dimensionally poor. The World Bank estimates that close to, about 90 million Nigerians live in extreme poverty (on less than $1.902.15 per day)–and Nigerian women account for 70 percent of that figure, even though they make up only 49.3 percent of the general population. Successive Nigerian governments yearn to fully capture the country’s economic potential and deliver on its human development goals and targets, especially for the women who are increasingly recognized globally as the most dynamic force for the rapid growth of any country.