Nigeria’s push toward a $1 trillion economy is increasingly tied to gender inclusion, with the Federal Government identifying women as a central driver of long-term economic expansion.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, made this position clear during a strategic engagement with capital market stakeholders at the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) in Lagos.
The visit reinforced a growing policy consensus that excluding women from financial systems directly limits national economic potential.
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According to the Minister, integrating women into Nigeria’s financial architecture is not a social objective but an economic necessity. She emphasized that unlocking women’s access to finance, investment platforms, and capital markets is critical to achieving the country’s ambitious growth target.
The engagement, which included a ceremonial closing gong at NGX, brought together regulators, market operators, and policymakers to align on strategies for expanding female participation in the economy.
Stakeholders stressed that women’s inclusion would deepen capital formation, improve wealth creation, and strengthen the resilience of Nigeria’s financial system.
Market leaders at the event highlighted that current participation levels of women in formal finance remain disproportionately low relative to their contribution to economic activity, particularly within the informal sector.
This structural gap continues to constrain productivity and limits the country’s ability to fully harness its human capital base.
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The Minister pointed to persistent barriers such as limited access to funding, low financial literacy, and systemic exclusion from investment ecosystems. She argued that addressing these constraints through coordinated policy reforms and private-sector collaboration would unlock significant economic value.
Other stakeholders, including officials from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and NGX leadership, echoed the need for innovation-driven solutions to lower entry barriers for women. Proposed measures include expanding digital investment platforms, improving access to capital for women-led enterprises, and strengthening inclusive financial frameworks.
The broader policy direction aligns with Nigeria’s economic strategy, which targets sustained growth and structural transformation. Government projections indicate that achieving a $1 trillion economy will require expanding productive capacity across all demographics, with women playing a pivotal role in entrepreneurship, trade, and investment.
Recent policy conversations across ministries have consistently reinforced this position, linking women-led enterprises to industrial growth, export expansion, and job creation key pillars of Nigeria’s economic agenda.
Federal Ministry of InformationThe renewed push signals a shift from advocacy to execution, positioning gender inclusion as a core economic lever rather than a peripheral policy concern.
Source : Nairametrics
