The United Nations and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have pledged to support Nigeria’s efforts to reduce gender inequality and strengthen gender-responsive planning and budgeting across government institutions.
The commitment was made on Monday in Abuja at the opening of a two-day capacity-building workshop on gender-responsive planning and budgeting.
Speaking at the event, the UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Beatrice Eyong, said gender inequality imposes significant economic and social costs on Nigeria, affecting productivity, economic growth, public finances and human development.
Eyong cited International Monetary Fund analysis indicating that reducing gender inequality in Nigeria to levels recorded in comparable countries could raise real GDP per capita growth by about 1.25 percentage points annually.
She explained that gender gaps limit labour productivity, entrepreneurship and the efficient allocation of talent.
She also referenced Nigeria’s Gender Profile and Roadmap to Equality 2030, which indicates that closing gender gaps could increase the country’s GDP by between two and three per cent annually.
The Nigerian Economic Summit Group, she added, had estimated that gender inequality costs the country about $26 billion annually through lost earnings, lower productivity and reduced human capital development.
Eyong said UN Women remained committed to supporting the Federal Government in strengthening institutional mechanisms for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
“At UN Women, we remain committed to supporting the Government of Nigeria to strengthen institutional mechanisms for gender equality and women’s empowerment,” she said.
She expressed the organisation’s readiness to work with stakeholders to ensure that gender-responsive planning and budgeting becomes an institutional standard rather than an exception.
According to her, gender-responsive budgeting goes beyond allocating resources specifically for women and men.
“It helps us deliberately address the different needs, priorities and constraints experienced by women, men, boys and girls,” she said.
She described gender-responsive planning and budgeting as a governance, public finance and development effectiveness issue, stressing that public resources should be allocated and utilised in ways that promote equitable outcomes and maximise development impact.
Eyong noted that countries and institutions that integrate gender perspectives into planning and budgeting tend to be more responsive, transparent and effective.
She warned that Nigeria’s development aspirations under the National Development Plan and the Sustainable Development Goals could not be fully achieved while a significant portion of the population continued to face barriers to participation.
Also speaking, the AfDB Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Specialist, Nigeria Country Department, Mrs. Patience Ekechukwu, said gender equality and women’s empowerment were central to achieving inclusive and sustainable development across Africa.
She described gender-responsive planning and budgeting as a strategic policy instrument that enables governments to identify and address inequalities in access to opportunities, resources, services and economic participation.
Ekechukwu said integrating gender considerations into development policies, programmes, domestic resource mobilisation, public procurement and expenditure would promote a more equitable and effective use of public resources.
She added that gender-responsive budgeting could strengthen accountability, improve development outcomes and contribute to inclusive economic growth by helping governments close gender inequality gaps.
“The importance of gender-responsive budgeting lies in its ability to translate commitments on gender equality into concrete investments and measurable results,” she said.
Ekechukwu stressed the need for government policies to be supported by reliable data, appropriate planning processes and programmes designed to address identified gender gaps, rather than merely listing women as beneficiaries of development initiatives.
She reaffirmed the African Development Bank’s commitment to supporting African countries in strengthening institutions, advancing inclusive development and promoting gender equality.
The representative of the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Nko Esuabana, explained that gender-responsive planning and budgeting involved mainstreaming gender considerations into decision-making throughout the annual budget cycle and other key policy processes.
She said the approach promotes awareness of gender inequalities, supports policy analysis and appraisal, and facilitates the design of programmes that address existing disparities and the differing needs of women, children and other vulnerable groups.
In her welcome remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Deborah O. N. Odoh, said the ministry remained committed to integrating gender-responsive approaches across government activities.
Odoh stressed that gender-responsive planning and budgeting was not simply about directing resources to women and girls.
“It requires us to understand how policies, programmes and public expenditure affect women, men, girls and boys differently, identify existing inequalities and ensure resources are directed towards addressing these challenges,” she said.
She said gender equality and inclusion were essential to achieving the objectives of Nigeria’s Agenda 2050 and the Sustainable Development Goals.
According to her, planning and budgeting processes must take into account the different needs, circumstances and opportunities of women, men, girls and boys and ensure that public resources are deployed to address identified inequalities.
Odoh said the Federal Government had demonstrated its commitment to strengthening gender considerations within national development planning and public financial management.
She described gender-responsive planning and budgeting as a critical instrument for ensuring that national policies, development plans and public expenditure contribute to reducing gender disparities, strengthening human capital development and improving the wellbeing of Nigerians.
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