The World Bank says Nigeria’s weak enforcement of gender equality laws and lack of parenthood support policies are constraining women’s participation in the workforce and limiting the country’s economic growth.
In its Women, Business and the Law 2026 report on Wednesday, the bank said Nigeria scores 50 out of 100 on gender equality laws but just 21.7 out of 100 on the systems required to implement them, including funding, services and institutional support.
The report also gave Nigeria a 0 out of 100 score on parenthood policies, citing the absence of federally mandated paid maternity leave of at least 14 weeks, paid paternity leave, and protections against dismissal of pregnant workers.
The World Bank warned that gaps between legislation and enforcement are creating “huge opportunity gaps” that undermine productivity in developing economies.
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Indermit Gill, chief economist and senior vice-president for development economics at the World Bank Group, said there is a wide gap between laws on paper and their real-world application.
“On paper, most countries are doing reasonably well: the average country scores 67 out of 100 on the adequacy of laws to enable economic equality between women and men,” Gill said.
“But when it comes to enforcing the laws, the average score drops to 53. And when the systems needed to implement those rights are assessed, the adequacy score is just 47. These numbers reflect huge opportunity gaps.”
The report noted that globally, only 4 percent of women live in economies with near-full legal equality.
In Nigeria, the Bretton Woods institution said the absence of structured childcare systems, paid parental leave, and enforceable equal pay provisions weakens female labour force retention and limits the country’s ability to harness its demographic potential.
“The country currently lacks federal laws mandating at least 14 weeks of paid maternity leave, paid paternity leave, or explicit prohibitions against the dismissal of pregnant workers. Across all Nigerian states, there are virtually no explicit provisions ensuring access to affordable and quality childcare,” the report reads.
“Less than half of the 190 economies globally provide financial support for families, and Nigeria lacks the critical tax support or government-administered mechanisms to keep mothers in the workforce.”
It also noted that across Nigerian states, there are virtually no explicit provisions guaranteeing access to affordable and quality childcare.
The report added that Nigeria lacks tax incentives or government-administered financial support systems aimed at helping families balance work and caregiving responsibilities.
WORLD BANK SAYS LABOUR RESTRICTIONS, PAY GAP PERSIST
The report said sections 55, 56 and 57 of the Nigerian Labour Act still restrict women from working in certain industrial jobs or at night.
“The lack of legal mandates for equal remuneration for work of equal value contributes to a global reality highlighted in the report: women earn, on average, just 77 cents for every dollar paid to men,” the report added.
On safety, the report said although Nigeria passed the violence against persons (Prohibition) Act, supportive frameworks remain underfunded.
“Globally, enforcement of safety laws fails 80% of the time, leaving women disproportionately vulnerable and less able to work consistently,” World Bank said.
The report also noted disparities across Nigerian states.
“States like Lagos and Oyo lead the country in legal gender equality, with Lagos operating specialized family courts and comprehensive services for survivors of gender-based violence,” it said.
“Conversely, states like Bauchi and Kano operating heavily under varying customary or religious laws show urgent gaps, with some northern states scoring as low as 25.0 out of 100 on legal frameworks limiting women’s marital and inheritance rights.”
Speaking on the performance, Shirley Ewang, advocacy lead at Gatefield, said Nigeria’s legal progress is being undermined by weak institutional backing.
“The data is clear: our legal progress is being severely undermined by a lack of institutional backing, reflected in our 0 out of 100 score on the Parenthood indicator,” she said.
Ewang called for concrete reforms, including a minimum fully paid 16-week maternity leave, 14-day paid paternity leave, and investment in childcare infrastructure.
“Until these support systems are in place, empowering Nigerian women remains an illusion, and economic growth will be constrained,” she added.
Tea Trumbic, manager of the Women, Business and the Law project, warned of demographic urgency, noting that 1.2 billion young people, half of them girls, will enter the global workforce over the next decade.
The World Bank said closing Nigeria’s supportive framework gap is critical to unlocking women’s economic participation and avoiding long-term growth constraints.
