The World Bank’s Women, Business, and Law (WBL) 2020 index which measures the laws and regulations that affect women’s economic opportunity show that Nigeria scores 63.1 out of 100. This is lower than the sub-Saharan Africa regional average of 71 and the same score as the previous year.1 Nigeria’s performance varies across the several legal indicators including laws addressing the constraints to freedom of movement (50), women’s decision to work (75), women’s pay (50), women’s work after marriage (100), women’s work after having children (0), constraints on women starting and running a business (75), gender differences in property and inheritance (80), and affecting the size of a woman’s pension (75). Improvements in opportunities that accrue to women are underpinned by cultural and social shifts that close gender bias not only in the economy, but also in society and politics. To spur these shifts, the media and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) should promote gender equal narratives, while the private sector and government should redesign policies to create more and better opportunities for women.
March 16, 2021
Nigeria Economic Update (Issue 9)
Related
Nigeria Economic Update (Issue 16)
Recently
released World Economic Outlook by the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
projects economic activities to increase significantly in developing countries-
especially Nigeria. Annual real output is expected to grow by 0.8 percent in
2017 from the contraction of 1.5 percent in 20161. Improvement in
economic activities is hinged on prospective favorable effects of continued
increase in commodity export price (Crude oil is expected to increase to $55
per barrel in 2017 compared to $46 in 2016).