By Our Regional Editor
Limited access to electricity, internet connectivity and financial resources has continued to slow the economic and social advancement of rural women across Nigeria, the head of Women Radio has said.
The media executive raised the concern while highlighting the major obstacles confronting women in rural communities, noting that the absence of critical infrastructure has significantly reduced opportunities for empowerment, entrepreneurship and access to information.
According to her, many rural women who are actively engaged in agriculture, petty trading and other small-scale businesses remain unable to expand their ventures due to unstable power supply and lack of digital connectivity. She explained that without electricity and reliable internet access, rural women are largely excluded from modern economic platforms, training opportunities and online markets that could improve their livelihoods.
She also identified limited access to finance as another major barrier, stressing that many women in rural areas struggle to secure loans or credit facilities needed to scale up their businesses.
The Women Radio boss emphasized that addressing these challenges requires deliberate policy actions by government, development partners and private sector stakeholders. She called for increased investment in rural electrification, digital infrastructure and financial inclusion programmes targeted at women.
She further noted that empowering rural women would not only improve household incomes but also contribute significantly to national development, food security and poverty reduction.
To tackle the situation, she disclosed that Women Radio and its partners are developing initiatives aimed at strengthening the capacity of rural women through advocacy, training programmes and awareness campaigns designed to expand their access to information, funding opportunities and markets.
She urged government at all levels to prioritise policies that bridge the rural infrastructure gap, stressing that meaningful development cannot be achieved if millions of rural women remain disconnected from basic services and economic opportunities.
