Meanwhile, a report by a civic group, Development Research and Projects Centre, DRPC, reports that less than 1 per cent of Nigeria’s 2022 budget was allocated to women’s economic empowerment programmes in a year that President Muhammadu Buhari boasted of gender-responsive budgeting.


An analysis of the 2022 budget by DRPC shows that only N103 billion
which is 0.60 per cent was allocated to women’s economic
empowerment when measured as a percentage of the total spending plan.

The 2022 allocation to Women Economic Empowerment, WEE, projects
is however a 101 per cent (N103 billion) increase compared to the 2021
(N51.3 billion) budget, DRPC said, adding that many of the MDAs have
increased funding commitment for WEE.


The organisation defined the concept of WEE as the transformative
process by which women and girls go from having limited power, voice,
and choice at home and in the economy to having the skills, resources,
and opportunities needed to access and compete equitably in markets
and the agency to control and benefit from economic gains.


The report recommended sustained momentum for increased budgetary
provisions to WEE and the creation of an institutional coordinating
mechanism/framework for tracking the gender impact of budget
implementation.


The organisation calls for promoting gender sensitivity in the
procurement process on WEE projects and ensuring women’s inclusion
in the budget process.

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