Women key to Nigeria’s $1trn Economy – Shettima

Nigeria's Vice President, Kashim Shettima, emphasized on Wednesday that women are crucial to the country's ambition of achieving a $1 trillion economy. Speaking at the Second National Gender Inclusion Conference, Shettima stressed that women's economic inclusion is essential for national growth. He pointed out that only 47% of women hold formal financial accounts, compared to 58% of men, highlighting the gap in access to affordable capital for women-owned businesses and female farmers.

Shettima noted that the government is developing an architecture to deliver economic inclusion, through initiatives like the National Income Activation Initiative and the Women in Energy Partnership with the World Bank. He urged stakeholders to ensure that commitments made carry owners, targets, and deadlines, moving beyond national averages to identify those still excluded from economic opportunities.

Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, called for the #SheIsIncluded initiative to become an enduring framework for women's economic prosperity, emphasizing that the financial exclusion of women represents unutilized productive capacity. The Governor of Jigawa State also reaffirmed the state's commitment to financial inclusion for all genders, citing challenges such as poor last-mile delivery, unsuitable lending models, inadequate gender-disaggregated data, insecurity, and unpaid care work as barriers to women's economic participation.

The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development highlighted these challenges and outlined the government's strategy, including four platforms: digital trust infrastructure, data for accountability, blended finance, and the National Income Activation Initiative.