Groups Decry 56% Reduction In 2023 Budget For Women Empowerment

Despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to the economic advancement of Nigerian women, there is a reduction of 56 per cent of the budget line for women economic empowerment in the 2023 proposed budget compared to the 2022 budget.

The allocation to women economic empowerment in the 2022 budget was N103 billion while the 2023 budget allocation is N58 billion. This is a reduction of 56 per cent.

The national president, National Council For Women Societies (NCWS), Hajiya Lami Adamu, said aside the reduced budgetary allocation, there are now fewer Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) carrying out women economic empowerment programs in 2023 compared to 2022.

The president spoke on Wednesday at a press briefing on the 2023 proposed budgetary allocation for women economic empowerment, organised by NCWS in collaboration with the Partnership for Advancing Women in Economic Development (PAWED) and supported by the development Research and Project Centre (dRPC), in Abuja.

She said “A total of 164 MDAs put in women economic empowerment activities into the budget for this year 2022. But for 2023 only 51 MDAs are having any activities to do with women economic empowerment.”

Adamu also expressed NCWS’s concern over what she described as severe reduction of the budget for the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, saying without funding for the ministry, it is very difficult to implement and even monitor projects targeting women.

“In the 2022 budget, the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs received N19 billion or 18.19 Per cent of the budget for women’s economic empowerment. In the 2023 budget the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs was only allocated N2.1 billion or 3.59 per cent of the total budget for women economic empowerment,” she said.

“While we commend the FG for its numerous WEE policies, including the national inclusive strategy, National development plans that recognize the role of women, and the various interventions at several MDAs, we hope the National Assembly will do the needful as they review the 2023 budget,” Adamu added.