Reserving Legislative Seats For Women Can Unlock $269bn Economic Potential, Says TOS Group

Reserving legislative seats for women could add over $269 billion to Nigeria’s GDP in the next decade by enhancing women’s education and participation, the TOS Group has emphasised.

The CEO of TOS Group and convener of the coalition behind the Reserved Seats for Women Bill, Chief Osasu Igbinedion-Ogwuche, who made this known, emphasised the economic upside at an Abuja media roundtable on Wednesday.

Citing research by the World Bank, UN, and McKinsey, Igbinedion-Ogwuche said, “We’ve all read the research by the World Bank, the United Nations, McKinsey that over $269 billion can be added to our GDP in the next decade just by improving women and kids’ education. So there’s a socioeconomic benefit to this,” she said.

LEADERSHIP recalls that the Regional Economic Impact (Africa), a 2024 report by the Mastercard Foundation and McKinsey revealed that increasing young women’s participation in the formal workforce in Africa could add $287 billion to the continent’s GDP by 2030.

She linked it to Nigeria’s crisis: women make up 50 per cent of the population but occupy only 4 per cent of parliamentary seats—16 out of 360 in the House of Representatives and 4 out of 109 senators—with just 51 out of 993 in state assemblies and zero women in 16 states.

The Reserved Seats for Women Bill proposes 74 new National Assembly seats and 108 in state assemblies, to be filled through competitive elections among female candidates from political parties. “It’s not an appointment, it’s not a handout. This is a competition,” Igbinedion-Ogwuche clarified, addressing barriers like violence, religion, tradition, high nomination fees, and male gatekeeping.

She noted that unless the bill is passed by next month, the delay risks missing the 2027 implementation.

“If this bill does not scale next month, it cannot be operationalised by 2027.”

“If they delay it any further, then we cannot operationalise it until 2031. Meaning that we’re keeping 50 per cent of our population on the sideline for another four years.”

Igbinedion-Ogwuche warned, “We cannot legislate for a people without them on the table.”

Giving background and policy context to the bill, Barrister Andikan Umoh positioned it as a governance reform driving economic gains. “Women’s representation is linked to stronger social policy outcomes… higher investments in health, education, and social protection.

It also lowers corruption practices and promotes more collaborative policy-making,” she stated.

She stated that Nigeria’s four to five per cent representation trails Africa’s 23 to 27 per cent average and Rwanda’s 61 per cent quota model, noting: “A legislature that excludes half the population lacks… legitimacy.”

Their 469 Tracker monitors lawmakers, countering objections like resentment over women’s free nomination forms. “The sad truth is, there are systemic barriers that are currently preventing women from running,” Umoh said.

On his part, the managing director, Kingsley Sintim rallied media support. “We know the power of the media… use your voice to amplify this effect,” he urged. “Amplify this human-centred story that will critically impact this movement… We need broader citizen awareness.”