The Federation of Informal Workers Organisations of Nigeria (FIWON) has called on the government to expand inclusive social protection for women in the informal economy.

The workers’ union argued that investing in social protection for women is not charity but a smart economic policy.

While joining women and workers across the world to commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day with the theme, “Give To Gain,” the group called on governments, institutions and society to invest in women’s empowerment, recognising that when women are supported, communities and economies benefit.

General Secretary of FIWON, Gbenga Komolafe, stressed that the country’s economy is overwhelmingly informal, with about 93 per cent of employment taking place in the informal sector, where women form a large proportion of the workforce.

He said that while women dominate many informal occupations such as market trading, street vending, small-scale food processing, agriculture, domestic work and home-based enterprises, they remain among the most economically vulnerable workers.

He cited recent reports showing that women own about 35 per cent of informal businesses in Nigeria, yet they earn significantly less than men in the same sector.
According to him, 41 per cent of women-owned informal enterprises earn less than N10,000 in daily profit, leaving little capacity to save or invest.

Komolafe said that despite their contributions, many women informal workers lack access to social protection, including health insurance, maternity protection, pensions and income security during crises.

For millions of women workers, he said, a single illness, pregnancy, market disruption or economic shock could wipe out their livelihoods and plunge families into deeper poverty.

To address this challenge, he called for universal access to affordable healthcare for informal workers and their families.

He also advocated maternity protection and income security for women during pregnancy and after childbirth, as well as affordable childcare facilities in markets and informal workplaces.

The union further demanded inclusive pension and social insurance schemes designed for informal workers, with meaningful participation of women informal workers in policy-making and social dialogue.

He said that when women workers are protected, households become more stable, local economies grow stronger and national development becomes more inclusive.

He reaffirmed FIWON’s commitment to organising informal workers and advocating policies that guarantee dignity, security and social justice for every working woman in Nigeria.

“When we give women workers protection, recognition and opportunity, Nigeria gains,” he said.