Poverty remains one of Nigeria’s most prevailing developmental issues, disproportionately affecting women folks as a result of structural imbalances and inequalities in access to education, economic opportunities, assets, and political power. In spite several policy interventions by different political administration in Nigeria since independence till date, women continue to witness upper altitudes of vulnerability, unemployment together with income poverty. Howbeit, this paper re-examines the role of women empowerment as a strategic policy instrument for poverty reduction in Nigeria. Anchored on empowerment theory and Gender and Development (GAD) perspectives, the study adopts a qualitative and analytical approach using secondary data from policy documents, national statistics, and empirical literature. The paper develops a comprehensive women empowerment policy framework that integrates economic, educational, legal, digital, and socio-cultural dimensions. Outcomes from the study depicts that sustainable poverty reduction in Nigeria is unattainable without deliberate, inclusive, and gender-responsive empowerment policies. The study thus concludes that effective implementation, institutional coordination, and robust monitoring mechanisms are critical for translating women empowerment policies into tangible poverty reduction outcomes.
Owoniya et al. (Tue,) studied this question.