Women's advocacy trainings stabilize livelihoods and build inclusive rural communities in southwestern Nigeria

In many rural areas of Nigeria, women face significant barriers to participation in labor markets and in community governance. Despite their crucial role in agriculture, women often lack access to resources, networks, and influence needed to shape their economic futures. Structural barriers limit their opportunities to contribute to policy discussion and to assert their rights in community decision-making. Prevailing gender norms can make it difficult for women to benefit from empowerment programs without support from their husbands. Addressing these challenges is essential to fostering more inclusive and resilient communities where women can thrive socially and economically.

To address these constraints, CGIAR partnered with ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) and the Universities of California, Berkeley and San Diego to co-develop an innovative training program. This training aimed to enhance women’s individual and collective efficacy and advocacy skills while fostering male support for their increased participation in economic and community activities. The goal was to create an enabling environment for women’s empowerment, ultimately improving their livelihoods, decision-making power, and voice in community governance.

Southwestern Nigeria’s Oyo, Ogun, and Osun states have been affected by shifts in traditional grazing routes due to drought and climate change, increasing conflict in the region. To assess the program’s impact on livelihoods and women’s empowerment within this fragile setting, a six-month training program was implemented. Monthly three-hour sessions were delivered by skilled local facilitators. Separate but complementary manuals were developed for the women’s and men’s training programs, ensuring that both groups received targeted instruction.

These innovations were subjected to rigorous causal impact evaluations. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted across 450 randomly-selected rural wards, with training provided to 13 women and their husbands in each of 150 wards; to women only in 150 wards; and to nobody in 150 control wards. Findings revealed significant improvements in women’s social capital, livelihoods, economic participation, and voice and agency in community governance both in areas where women only participated in trainings and in areas where women’s husbands participated in the parallel husbands’ training in male allyship. However, the husbands’ trainings did not enhance outcomes beyond training women alone. These results highlight the incredible potential for training programs that enhance women’s individual and collective efficacy to close gender gaps and indicate that male participation was not essential for impact in this context.

Rural women and their households in Southwest Nigeria were the primary beneficiaries of this research and intervention. By enhancing their advocacy skills, the program contributed to greater financial independence, strengthened decision-making power, and increased representation in community governance. Men who participated in the training also benefited by gaining a deeper understanding of the advantages of gender-inclusive economic participation. The program’s impact extended to local governance structures, as trained women became more active in civic discussions and community development initiatives. And it critically supported partner ActionAid’s ongoing programming.

To ensure sustained impacts, CGIAR and its partners shared findings with policymakers, civil society organizations, and local governments to inform future programming. Workshops and knowledge-sharing events explored scaling opportunities and shared project impacts. A key dissemination event took place on October 9, 2024, when CGIAR and ActionAid co-launched the curricula in Abuja, Nigeria, at a regional dialogue on gender organized by the CGIAR Research Initiative on Gender Equality and with participation of other CGIAR initiatives including Fragility, Conflict, and Migration. This event engaged stakeholders, shared findings, and fostered discussions on scaling.

This project demonstrates the power of combining research-driven insights with grassroots expertise to create meaningful and scalable solutions for women’s empowerment. CGIAR and partners continue to explore opportunities to assess the long-term impacts of the training and expand its reach.

Written by: Katrina Kosec, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI and Lead, CGIAR Research Initiative on Fragility, Conflict, and Migration and Jordan Kyle, Research Fellow, IFPRI

Top photo: Local farmers pass by to attend a farmers’ meeting at Oloki village, Osogbo, Osun state, Nigeria. WLE_CGIAR/Flickr