Key Findings Summary

Vulnerable state of women-owned businesses:

The CoVID19 pandemic continues to affect countries across the world with varied impacts. Primarily a health crisis, the pandemic exposed the significant challenges to access to healthcare in Nigeria. The pandemic also amplified the gendered inequalities in society by making women more vulnerable to its residual effects. The Government instituted lockdown reveals the vulnerabilities to women’s businesses exemplifies by the survey’s respondents; particularly micro and small enterprises, to economic shocks and specifically the absence of protective measures to support these businesses to recover from such shocks.

Limited awareness of government interventions:

61% of respondents were not aware of government intervention for small businesses. Respondents with knowledge of the government intervention were determined by their location, affiliation with groups and associations, access to information, and the internet. Respondents in Lagos, Ogun, Kwara, Kano, and Ondo are mostly aware of the interventions, with sparse knowledge across the other states. Lack of awareness prevented 39% of respondents from exploring the opportunities available in these interventions.