4 hours of vocational training for a woman in Nigeria

Although Nigeria is Africa's largest economy, around 52 million women are affected by poverty and live on less than US$1.90 a day (BMZ, 2021, Ifeanyi et al., 2019). Nigeria's women face many burdens: their access to education and to reliable information about their rights and their health is limited (UNDP, 2021). Girls are less likely to attend school - and thus have fewer opportunities to pursue a career and earn their own money later on. Conflicts in the country and male-dominated structures encourage discrimination against women and girls and often lead to violence against them. Discriminatory practices such as early forced marriage (UNICEF, 2021), discrimination against girls and women in education and a lack of say are commonplace (UNDP, 2021). In regions characterized by instability, poverty and conflict, women are often affected by (sexualized) violence - and the presence of extremist groups exacerbates this tendency. Women in Nigeria bear the brunt of poverty and violence; they have little access to their rights, and are often unaware of them. Yet women are the linchpin of families and communities. Only by supporting women and their peacemaking potential can Nigeria achieve long-term stability.