FG Creates New Departments to Boost Care Economy, Women Affairs Minister Announces

By Omoyeni Ojeifo

As the Federal Government moves to institutionalize caregiving within its development framework, the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, says Nigeria is at an advanced stage of establishing dedicated departments on the care economy and women’s climate resilience adaptation.

She said the move is aimed at strengthening coordinated national response systems and improving policy delivery across sectors through collaboration with relevant ministries and agencies.

Speaking at the maiden edition of the National Caregivers Summit in Abuja on Monday, Sulaiman-Ibrahim explained that the new structures would be implemented in partnership with the Ministries of Environment, Agriculture and Humanitarian Affairs to address emerging social and environmental challenges.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim added that the reforms are designed to formalise caregiving as a recognised sector supported by measurable targets, clear timelines and sustainable financing mechanisms.“These frameworks ensure that interventions are backed by measurable targets, clear timelines, and sustainable financing mechanisms.”

The minister also disclosed that government is leveraging Nigeria’s education data infrastructure to digitalise social development data for actual tracking.

“We are leveraging the Nigerian education data infrastructure, enabling the real time tracking of education gaps, vulnerabilities, and exclusion indicators, so that no Nigerian child or vulnerable household remains invisible within our development architecture,” she added.

The minister noted that caregiving has historically been borne disproportionately by women, often unpaid and unrecognised, adding that ongoing reforms aim to professionalise the sector and expand training and certification programmes nationwide.

According to her, the initiative will equip thousands of Nigerians with skills in childcare, special needs support and community caregiving services, while also creating pathways for employment and enabling more women to participate fully in the economy.

Persecondnews reports that the summit  brought together policymakers, development partners and stakeholders focused on strengthening value-based parenting, inclusive education and national care systems.