Ford Foundation, TechnoServe Explore Women’s Economic Empowerment, Gender-based Violence in West Africa

Mary Nnah 

The relationship between women’s economic empowerment and the risk of gender-based violence varies significantly based on the geographical, socio-economic, and cultural context of a household. That was the principal finding of a recent study funded by the Ford Foundation. The research was carried out in Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal by an international nonprofit organisation, TechnoServe.

Drawing on primary research conducted in Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal, the report provides recommendations to civil society, the government, the private sector, and the global aid community.

According to the research, Gender-based violence (GBV) is a significant and persistent challenge in West Africa and other regions of the world.

The report stated that, for example, statistics from the Global Database on Violence against Women have shown that 22% of women in Nigeria experience physical or sexual violence or both from a spouse or partner during their lifetimes.  

Although Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal are signatories to several international conventions against GBV and have developed a legal framework that punishes offenders, the report finds that there is still a low level of confidence in the protection offered by the law. For that reason, the report warns, it is important for development initiatives to consider how programs may impact levels of GBV.

Speaking during a launch event for the report, the organisation’s Nigeria country director, Adesuwa Akinboro,  said, “A fundamental ethos of international development is ‘do no harm,’ and this certainly applies at TechnoServe”, adding, “In this case, when women are empowered through the different capacity-building tools, we want to ensure that this does not expose them to the risk of violence and if it does, that there are mitigation plans that eliminate their exposure to GBV while empowering them economically.”

Akinboro said, “The findings from this report were very interesting because we found that when women are empowered in these communities, they have better earnings which enables them to support their families, including their spouses.”

By carrying out focus groups and surveys with women entrepreneurs across the three countries, the researchers were able to find particular regional differences in perceptions related to women’s economic empowerment and GBV.

The West Africa Programme Manager for the Ford Foundation, Olufunke Baruwa, said, “There are certain interesting insights in the report. In Ghana, for instance, the respondents defined an empowered woman as one who is single, independent and lives on her own. “However, in Nigeria, this was not the case, as most of the respondents defined an empowered woman as one who is married and able to take care of her family and herself. This insight is in line with the conclusion of the report, which states that the nexus of women’s economic empowerment and gender-based violence is complex and contextual. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.”

Baruwa noted further that the primary objective of the study was not just to look at social, religious and cultural norms that encourage GBV, but other recent factors that lead to violence. She added that this research would contribute tremendously to the body of knowledge in this area.

Founded in 1968, TechnoServe is a leader in harnessing the power of the private sector to help people lift themselves out of poverty for good.

A non-profit organisation working in 30 countries with people to build a better future through regenerative farms, businesses, and markets that increase incomes with a vision for a sustainable world where all people in low-income communities have the opportunity to prosper.