Caregiving, a huge industry to be restructured, recognised profession in Nigeria – Women Affairs Minister

The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim has revealed that the Ministry was working on the restructuring of caregiving industry for its practitioners to be recognised.

She said, caregiving is a huge industry that should be standardised with dignity and investment, given its importance to the society.

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She stated this with passion at the National Caregivers Summit organised by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development on Monday in Abuja.

Ms Sulaiman-Ibrahim noted that the industry, though very huge placed a disproportionate burden on women and adolescent girls, adding that caregiving will be certified and professionalised in other to strengthen Nigeria’s care economy.

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The summit, themed “Future Now: Advancing Inclusive Value-based Parenting and Education for Every Nigerian Child,” is part of activities to commemorate the 2026 National Children’s Day celebration.

The Summit was attended by Caregivers experts, practitioners and stakeholders from across the country, where each presented their perspectives.

The Minister lamented that for lack of professionalism and structured operational template in Nigeria, some women across the country are forced to sacrifice education, careers and economic opportunities to provide unpaid care for children, persons with disabilities and the elderly.

“No nation can attain sustainable prosperity when a significant segment of its productive population is constrained by invisible and unsupported care responsibilities.

“Our vision is to empower thousands of Nigerian youths with employable and globally relevant skills in childcare, geriatric care, special needs support and community caregiving services”, she said.

According to the Imaan, the initiative being work upon by the Ministry will advance economic interest of the country and provides job opportunities for the citizens, stressing that President Bola Tinubu administration has perfected plans to establish dedicated institutional departments on the care economy and women’s climate resilience and adaptation.

Explaining that the planned structure would be implemented in partnership with relevant ministries, agencies and departments, particularly Environment, Agriculture and Humanitarian Affairs, to ensure a coordinated national response to social and environmental challenges.

The Minister maintained that Nigerian children must be shielded from exploitation of any kind and empowered with education and digital literacy.

Noting that every caregiver equipped with professional skills represents another building block in the foundation of a peaceful, stable and economically resilient Nigeria,” she said.

A participant and Chief Executive Officer of Caring Africa, Blessing Adesiyan speaking on “Nigeria’s Care Sector: Realities and Possibilities”, said Nigeria currently lacks a national care policy and standardised childcare systems.

She maintained that the caregiving economy needed urgent reforms in a manner that the unpaid workers must be recognised.

Blessing added that Nigeria also lacked structured elder and disability care systems, formalised care workforce pathways, and adequate care infrastructure and investment.

According to her, most caregiving responsibilities are currently carried out by women, particularly mothers, without recognition, value or support.

She reiterated the need for reforms to ensure unpaid care work was properly recognised and integrated into national development planning.

Also speaking, the UN Women representative for Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong, emphasised the importance of the care economy in enabling women’s participation in politics, leadership and economic activities.

“The care economy is extremely important, especially for young women who want to grow in politics, leadership, and the economic space,” Ms Eyong said.

“Women need care and support systems to help them succeed in the roles they are expected to play.”

Ms Eyong commended the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development for elevating the care economy in the national discourse and pledged UN Women’s support for the initiative.

A Child Protection Specialist with UNICEF, Godwin Odo, also reaffirmed support for reforms aimed at revitalising Nigeria’s care economy and strengthening child protection systems.

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