About Us

#ShesIncluded Initiative
Aso Accord on Financial and Economic Inclusion
The Aso Accord signed on 25th April
2024 is a strategic initiative designed
to address gaps in economic and
financial inclusion by empowering
underserved
communities/demographics
particularly women and youths by
providing them with the tools and
resources necessary to fully
participate in the economy.
The aim is to close and break the
barriers hindering women from
achieving financial and economic
empowerment. These barriers are
especially significant in Northern
Nigeria, where exclusion rates are
38% in the North-East and 47% in the
North-West, in stark contrast to just
5% in the South-West and 10% in the
South-South.
Factors such as inadequate education, low financial literacy, restricted credit access, insufficient gender-based policies, and elevated levels of poverty, particularly among rural women, all contribute to these challenges. Addressing these issues is imperative for women's rights, their economic progress, and Nigeria's overall development. When women are included in financial systems, lead healthy lives, and reside in non-violent environments, they drive long-term socio-economic growth by investing in education, healthcare, and family well-being. This initiative aims to create financial access, advance girl child education, improve maternal health, reduce gender-based violence, develop gender-responsive policies across all sectors, and provide capacity-building and mentorship to empower Nigerian women. The Gender Inclusion Initiative for the Aso Accord on Financial and Economic Inclusion named project: #ShesIncluded.
- 1 in 3 Nigerian women have experienced physical, sexual or intimate partner violence by age 15 (UNFPA, 2024)
- 30% of girls marry before 18= over 24 million child brides in Nigeria.
- Only 43.73% of girls are enrolled in the basic level of education in Nigeria.
- Women-owned micro enterprises= 41%, WSMEs =13% and women-owned enterprises in the formal sector = 20%
- Women account for 70% of Nigeria’s extremely poor despite constituting only 49.3% of the population (IMF, 2024).
- Mobile phone usage: 92% men , 88% women = 4% gap
- Internet Usage: 54% men, 34% women = 20% gap
- Mobile Phone Ownership: 67% men, 55% women = 12% gap
- Overall gender gap widened between 2020 (8%) and 2023 (9%)
- Low literacy rates (As low as 15% in Borno)
- Poverty level (71.5% of people in the northeast live below the poverty line)