A coalition under the Nigeria Women in Leadership (WIL) Cohort has called on the private sector and labour policymakers to take immediate steps to end the systemic exclusion of women from formal employment.
The group issued the call on Friday in a statement released to journalists by Hannatu-Favour Asheolge, Media Contact for Gatefield, an advocacy organisation.
The appeal follows the release of the Women in the Workplace 2024 report by McKinsey & Company, which highlights persistent gender disparities in Nigeria’s private sector.
According to the report, women hold only one in three entry-level roles in Nigerian companies, despite representing nearly half of the nation’s workforce.
“The data paints a stark picture of the challenges confronting Nigerian women in formal employment. While women make up close to 50% of the labour force, their presence in private sector jobs remains disproportionately low—and declines further at senior levels,” the coalition stated.
In the financial sector, for example, the representation of women drops by 19 percentage points from entry-level to executive positions.
Omowunmi Akingbohungbe, Executive Director of Women in Management, Business, and Public Service (WIMBIZ), said the findings reflect the real-life experiences of many women.
“The real challenge starts at the point of hiring. If we truly aim for inclusive growth, we must build systems that provide equal opportunities from the outset and ensure women receive the support needed to advance,” she said.
She added that companies that fail to tap into the full talent pool are hindering their own progress.
Civil society groups, according to her, are urging firms to adopt gender-equal recruitment targets at entry level and to publicly report on their progress toward gender parity.
The coalition also called on government and regulatory authorities to implement stronger policies that support women’s career advancement and ensure compliance across all sectors.
Abosede George-Ogan, founder of Women in Successful Careers (WISCAR), emphasised the need to revise Nigeria’s labour policies to address workplace gender disparities.
“Women deserve protection from discrimination, assurance of equal pay, enforcement of maternity rights, and safe, inclusive workplaces. The law must reflect the modern realities women face,” she said.
Shirley Ewang, Advocacy Lead at Gatefield, also highlighted the imbalance in leadership.
“Although women occupy 29% of C-suite positions in Nigeria’s formal private sector—a figure that appears favourable globally—it masks a deeper issue: far too few women are hired into formal roles in the first place, and fewer still are supported to rise,” she said.
