Women’s Empowerment and Poverty Reduction in Nigeria: An Assessment of the National Women’s Economic Empowerment Policy in Egbe-Idimu LCDA, Lagos State

Purpose: This study investigated the effectiveness of the National Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy as a poverty-reduction mechanism among women in Egbe-Idimu LCDA, Lagos State. It assessed the extent to which the policy has empowered women, examined its influence on access to national entrepreneurship funding, and analysed the relationship between empowerment programmes and poverty reduction. Methodology: Anchored on a pragmatic research philosophy, the study adopted a mixed-methods design. A probabilistic sampling procedure combining simple random and cluster sampling was used to select 300 women engaged in small-scale enterprises, with sample size determined using the Taro Yamane formula. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used for summarisation, while Chi-square, Pearson correlation, and regression analysis served as inferential tools, supported by SPSS (Version 25). Findings: The study found that orientation and sensitisation initiatives significantly enhance the implementation of the WEE Policy, particularly in promoting entrepreneurship and skills acquisition among women in Egbe-Idimu LCDA. Results further showed that WEE interventions strengthen women’s economic independence and reduce vulnerabilities, including exposure to corrupt practices. Overall, the implementation of the WEE Policy has substantially empowered women, and empowerment programmes exhibit a significant and positive association with poverty reduction. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study contributes theoretically by establishing an empirical link between empowerment initiatives and measurable decreases in women’s socio-economic vulnerabilities. Practically, it highlights the value of continuous skills development and entrepreneurship support in enhancing women’s self-reliance. Policy-wise, it underscores the need for sustained investment in lifelong capacity-building and targeted sensitisation to maximise the long-term poverty-reduction impact of the National WEE Policy.