Says unpaid care burden keeps 3 million Nigerian women out of workforce
as Care sector projected to create 17 million jobs

By: Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja.

The Federal Government on Monday unveiled plans to professionalise caregiving across Nigeria as part of a broader national strategy to unlock an estimated $111 billion value in unpaid care work, stimulate economic growth, and expand women’s participation in the workforce.

Speaking at the maiden National Caregivers Summit held in Abuja, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, described caregiving as a critical economic sector that must no longer remain invisible or undervalued.

According to the minister, Nigeria currently loses about 1.09 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually due to childcare constraints, while nearly three million women remain excluded from the workforce because of unpaid caregiving responsibilities.

She said the Federal Government was repositioning care work from a domestic obligation to a structured national economic priority capable of strengthening families, creating jobs, and boosting productivity.

“This marks a historic departure from viewing social development through the lens of austerity. We now recognize care as a national economic imperative,” the minister stated.

She disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had declared 2026 as the “Year of Families and Social Development,” describing the move as a transformative step toward strengthening Nigeria’s social fabric.

“The family remains the first school of values, the first line of security, and the foundational economic unit of society. When families are strengthened, nations become stable,” she said.

Suleiman-Ibrahim said the ministry had commenced major institutional reforms aimed at replacing outdated systems with “agile, data-driven, and impact-oriented structures.”

She noted that the government was intensifying the domestication and enforcement of the Child Rights Act nationwide, while also strengthening implementation of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act to ensure grassroots protection for vulnerable Nigerians.

The minister further revealed that the government was activating national action plans targeted at ending violence against children, child marriage, and other forms of exploitation affecting women, girls, boys, and vulnerable citizens.

She explained that Nigeria’s demographic realities — including a rapidly growing youth population and more than 6.5 million citizens aged 65 and above — had increased pressure on the nation’s care systems.
Citing available data, she said nearly 30 per cent of Nigerian women aged 15 to 49 had experienced physical or sexual violence, while about one in three girls marry before age 18.

“These are not just statistics. They represent interrupted destinies and diminished opportunities,” she said.

The minister announced strategic partnerships with caregiving organisations to scale up nationwide training and certification programmes aimed at professionalising care services.

She said the initiative would equip thousands of Nigerian youths with employable skills in childcare, disability support, elderly care, and community caregiving.

“By formalising the care sector, we are creating sustainable employment pathways while enabling more women to participate actively in the economy with confidence that their dependents are receiving safe and professional care,” she said.

She added that the Federal Government, in partnership with the World Bank through the AGILE project, was expanding education and digital literacy opportunities for more than 8.6 million girls across 18 states.

According to her, the initiative is designed to break cycles of poverty and prepare Nigerian girls for leadership and economic participation in the digital age.
According to her, Care Economy Can Create 17 Million Jobs, she noted
In a presentation titled

“The Nigerian Care Economy: Realities and Possibilities,” Chief Executive Officer of Caring Africa, Blessing Oyeleye Adesiyan, said Nigeria’s care economy had the potential to generate up to 17 million jobs.

She described care infrastructure as both an industry and a workforce enabler with strong demand across income groups.

According to her, care policies are directly linked to several Sustainable Development Goals, including quality education, gender equality, decent work, and reduced inequalities.

Adesiyan urged Nigeria to adopt lessons from Kenya’s care policy framework by treating care as economic infrastructure rather than social welfare.

“Nigeria must frame care as economic infrastructure, not social welfare,” she said, noting that care systems enable women’s labour force participation and national growth.

Representative of UN Women in Nigeria, Beatrice Eyong, commended the Federal Government for elevating discussions around the care economy.

She said the initiative was timely and critical to national development, especially for women seeking greater participation in politics, leadership, and economic activities.

“The care economy is extremely important, especially for young women who want to grow in politics, leadership, and the economic space,” Eyong said.

“If a woman is expected to care for children and still arrive at work early every day without support systems, that is unfair. It increases the burden on women.”

She pledged the support of UN Women toward strengthening Nigeria’s caregiving and social support systems through technical expertise and collaboration.

The summit, themed “Future Now: Advancing Inclusive Value-Based Parenting and Education for Every Nigerian Child,” brought together government officials, development partners, civil society organisations, and caregivers to chart a roadmap for building an inclusive and sustainable care economy in Nigeria.