Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Women in agriculture – Nigeria'

Most scholars of female farmers of sub-Saharan Africa have come to agree that the transition from subsistence to market agriculture has hurt women's independent agricultural enterprises and incomes. Research conducted among a group of farmers known as the Kofyar of central Nigeria provides a case study which runs counter to this general consensus. Kofyar women have not suffered a loss of economic or social independence with the introduction of cash-cropping but have in fact embraced the new opportunities of the markets to produce crops for sale independently of their households. The Kofyar farming system as a whole is outlined, and the system of independent production is described within this context. The recent history of the Kofyar is sketched including, most importantly, their migration into an agricultural frontier, the adoption of yams as the primary cash crop, and the evolution of a complex set of mechanisms for mobilizing labor. The role of women in the cooperative labor network and in household labor is described and women's important contributions to all types of labor are linked to their access to labor for their own independent production. One of the basic arguments is that Kofyar women are prospering relative to other African women because their labor has been so crucial to the agriculture of the Kofyar both before and since the introduction of cash-cropping. The other basic argument for Kofyar women's relative success is that they are successfully exploiting the flexibility inherent in their farming system to maximize their own production. The use of intensive techniques such as intercropping and taking advantage of the flexibility in the timing of certain agricultural tasks on their major crops of groundnuts and yams are examples of this strategy. Women have, in other words, evolved a system of independent production which fits around rather than competes directly with male/household farming. The dissertation goes on to place women's independent farming within the broader social system by analyzing differences between women in marriage and childbearing statuses and histories. Regular differences in magnitude of independent production are found between women with contrasting social characteristics (e.g. age, marital status, divorce history, numbers of children). The portrait of the most prosperous woman is sketched. Kofyar women's activities are seen as an essential part of Kofyar development. The system in general has become more prosperous and women as important contributors to that prosperity are also benefiting as individuals from these changes.

This study examined the status of women in Southwestern Nigeria from a legal perspective. It scrutinized the three legal infrastructures in the Nigerian legal system. The study is based on the premise that the huge disparity in the socio-economic development of the women in South-western Nigeria is a consequence of inadequate legal protection. Four independent variables were considered, and three intervening variables were identified. Workshops, interviews and surveys were conducted. A document analysis approach was used to examine the three legal infrastructures in the Nigerian legal system—the Common Law also known as the English Law, the Statutory Laws which are a culmination of ordinances, bills, and decrees and the Customary laws which evolved through tradition. The study found that constitutional and statutory laws do indeed provide substantial protection for women; however, some Statutory laws exclude women married under the customary laws. The conclusions drawn from this finding is that factors including but not limited to the inadequacy of legal protection, are key elements to which the socio-economic and political backwardness of women may be attributed. The factors include a lack of gender specific legislation to emancipate women from the shackles of patriarchy; ignorance and lack of awareness of existing protection; biased customary laws which are pro-male and which inhibit the socio-economic and political advancement of women and customs which reinforce gender inequality.

Ce travail porte l’étude des innovations autour d’activités agricoles, notamment la valorisation de la culture du sésame considérée comme une culture de femmes dans l’Ouest du Niger. Pour appréhender les dynamiques en cours, l’étude procède d’une analyse des rapports de genre à travers les pratiques sociales et culturelles au sein du milieu concerné. L’analyse des processus d’émergence des initiatives collectives des femmes a permis de mettre en évidence des positions sociales mais aussi des capacités d’action ayant favorisé des reconnaissances institutionnelles. Les groupements constitués dans le cadre des activités maraîchères et de celles de la mise en valeur du sésame offrent un cadre d’apprentissage associatif favorable à la construction d’une identité collective. La mise en œuvre d’innovations techniques et les interactions qu’elles nécessitent permettent aux femmes l’acquisition de compétences contribuant à l’émergence d’une identité socioprofessionnelle
This study is based on innovations in agricultural activities, notably the valorization of sesame cultivation which is considered as women’s activity in Western Niger. To understand the current dynamisms, this study proceeds by analyzing gender relationship through social and cultural practices within the study region. The analyses of the emergence of women’s collective initiatives permitted us to bring to light their social positions and their capacity to act has greatly favored their institutional recognition. The groupings involved in horticultural activities and those valorizing sesame offer a favorable learning framework for the construction of collective identity. The implementation of technical innovations and the necessary interactions as a result let women acquire the competence that contributes to the emergence of their socioprofessional identity

Women play an important role in the development of their families and communities economically; however, in comparison to men, they disproportionately experience barriers such as low income households, poverty, unemployment, lack of training, and discrimination. The purpose of this mini-ethnographic case study was to explore the perceptions of women entrepreneurs in Enugu State, Nigeria on what information they need to overcome possible barriers in their business and economic development. The 5M (market, money, management, motherhood, meso, and microenvironment) framework provided the theoretical lens for this investigation. The data gathering process involved face-to-face semistructured interviews with 15 women entrepreneurs in 3 local markets in Enugu State, in addition to direct observation, field notes, and reflective journal entries. Data were inductively analyzed and then triangulated to ensure trustworthiness of findings. The major themes revealed that these women needed information in the areas of marketing, customer relations, accounting procedures, financing strategies, and formal business training to grow their businesses. Embracing the results of this research may contribute to positive social change by providing information on how small scale women entrepreneurs could reduce their dependence on their husbands, partners, and relatives.

Researchers have demonstrated that the Nigerian government has failed to protect women's rights and advance gender equality in political leadership; consequently, women's political participation in Nigeria remains low. Although international laws grant women political participation rights, little is known about the struggles and experiences Nigerian women face in their quest to participate in the political life of Nigeria. The purpose of this basic interpretative qualitative study was to explore and describe the perceptions and experiences of Nigerian women on gender equality and other issues affecting their political leadership. The theoretical framework used was Eagly's social role theory and Ayman and Korabik's leadership categorization theory. The research questions focused on how women describe their participation in the political sector and their obstacles. Ten purposefully selected Nigerian women in Nigerian political leadership were interviewed. Data analysis included coding, categorizing, and analyzing themes. The resulting 7 themes were underrepresentation, gender inequality, male dominance, women's empowerment, spousal support/approval, financial support, and legislation reform. The findings indicated that women were still underrepresented in the political sector of government and lacked full political power as they strived for equality to become political leaders. The implications for positive social change are to educate the public, inform policy makers, and create legislative initiatives to support an equitable society in Nigeria in which women can participate fully in the political process.

Nigerians have been opting for a more processed Western diet. These changes in dietary choices have aligned with obesity and undernutrition, attributable to micronutrient deficiencies or malnutrition. Many scholars have presented varying intervention strategies ranging from consumption of a variety of foods containing the necessary micronutrients to food fortification. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explore the perceptions of women in an urban city in Nigeria on indigenous foods and Western dietary influences to determine social interactions, the consequence of the interactions, and the women’s current perceptions of food choices. The social-ecological model was used to explore the interaction between a woman and her environment. Women between the ages of 20 to 30 from the urban city of Jos, Nigeria, constituted the population of interest, and 12 women were chosen for the sample. From the in-depth interviews, a thematic analysis was employed to provide sociocontextual reasoning for changes in diet that have led to the loss of interest in traditional foods and cultures. This study found that Jos has a variety of foods, yet women choose the same staple foods to feed their families. Additionally, despite a marginal understanding of the health impact of diet, most women choose the convenience and palatability of Western options, citing cost as the rationale for choosing to cook staple Western-inspired meals at home. Understanding media, convenience, and cost can impact social change by enlightening communities on the interconnectedness of human health, cultures, and industrialization. Health care providers can monitor the outcomes of those who consume a variety of indigenous foods to see how such a practice could influence the overall health status of Nigerian families.

This study examined the political- economy of market women paying close attention to the impact of governmental economic policies on women’s trade. Our analysis was based on the experiences of market women in western Nigeria as a case study. The study focused particularly on the wage and salary restructuring awards awards (Udoji) of the 1970S and the Structural Adjustment Policies (SAPs) of the late 1980s to present. On a secondary level, the study attempted theory-building of Africana feminism using the position of market women as the focus of analysis. To achieve its primary goal, the study presented and analyzed the following: (a) the impact of presumablY gender-neutral policies on women’s trade; (b) the plight of women traders in a gender-differentiated market arena; and (c) coping mechanisms market women utilize in light of the two preceeding conditions. To fulfill the secondary objective, an examination was conducted of feminist writings theoretizing the situation of African women vis-a-vis the reality of their existence. In this case study, triangulation was used to test the validity of the data collected. Secondary data was collected as well as primary data using a questionnaire and personal interviews. In addition, a videotape recording of markets was undertaken to conoborate survey findings. From our examination of the data, both primary and secondary, we found that market women were adversely impacted by SAPs conditionalities. Three major findings resulted from this study: (1) Stagnation of trade: the combination of devaluation of the naira, lack of money in circulation, ban on imports, high maintenance fees for market space, and non-payment of workers salaries by the government, aggravate consumer buying power and result in the stagnation of trade; (2) Market overcrowding: mass retrenchment brought women and men into the market who would normally not consider trade as an occupation. This situation in turn creates a reduction in individual sales, excessive competition for customers, and market overcrowding; and (3) Political alienation of market traders by the state: The current oppressive administration, fluctuation in leadership, arbitrary enforcement of policies, and police harassment have forced market women to assume a reactionary posture whereby they ignore state policies, attempt to dialogue with government officials, or stage marches and riots in order to demonstrate their dissatisfaction. Finally, our theoretical examination revealed the need for a socio-cultural construct to be integrated into the nexus of race, class, and gender within Africana feminism in order to make it a viable framework to discuss market women as a microcosm of women in developing countries.

This thesis examines the intersection of oil enclave economy and the phenomenon of sexual liaisons in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region. The particular focus of this thesis is on the extent to which oil enclavity contributes to the emergence of sexual liaisons between local women and expatriate oil workers. Despite the fact that the Nigerian oil industry has been subjected to considerable scholarly debate for over five decades, this aspect of the social dimension of oil has not received adequate scholarly attention. Gender-specific discourse has tended to focus more on women protest. Other aspects, such as gender-specific violence that women in the region have had to live with, are either ignored or poorly articulated. Picketing of oil platforms by protesting women is celebrated as signs that women are active in the struggle against oil Transnational Companies (TNCs). While women protest is a significant struggle against oil TNCs, it has the potential of blurring our intellectual focus on the specific challenges confronting women in the Niger Delta. This study shows that since the inauguration of the Willink Commission in 1957, national palliatives meant to alleviate poverty in the Niger Delta region have not been gender sensitive. A review of the 1957 Willink Commission and others that came after it shows that the Nigerian state is yet to address the peculiar problems that the oil industry has brought to the women folk in the region. The paradox is that while oil provides enormous wealth and means of patronage to the Nigerian state elite, the oil TNCs, and better paid expatriate oil workers, a large section of the local Oil Bearing Communities (OBCs), especially women and unemployed youth, are not only dispossessed but survive in an environment characterised by anxiety and misery. With limited survival alternatives, youths resort to violent protest including oil thefts and bunkering. Local women are also immersed in this debacle because some of them resort to sexual liaisons with economically empowered expatriate oil workers as an alternative means of survival. This study therefore shifts the focus to women by exploring the extent to which sexual liaison reflects the contradictions in the enclave oil economy. The study employed an enclave economy conceptual framework to demonstrate that oil extractive activities compromise and distort the local economies of OBCs. This situation compels local women to seek for alternative means of survival by entering into sexual liaisons with more financially privileged expatriate oil workers. The study reviewed relevant secondary documentary sources of data. Further, it employed primary data collection techniques which include in-depth interviews/life histories, ethnographic observations, focus group discussions, and visual sociology. Besides obtaining the social profile and challenges facing the women involved in sexual liaisons with expatriate oil workers, the study provides an outline of participants’ narratives on the different social and economic dimensions of the intersection of oil enclave economy and sexual liaisons. The study found that some of the women involved in sexual liaisons with expatriate oil workers have been abandoned with ‘fatherless’ children. Some of them have also been rejected by their immediate family members and, in some cases, by their community. The study also found that the phenomenon of sexual liaisons and the incidents of abandoned ‘fatherless’ children that result from the practice, has over the years been played out through local resentment against oil TNCs and their expatriate employees. This finding helps to fill the gap in narratives and to make sense of the civic revolt and deepening instability in the Niger Delta region.

Rice (Oryza sativa Linn) stands out as the major food crop for about a half of human race. It ranks third after wheat and maize in terms of worldwide production. In many parts of West-Africa, Oryza glaberrima Steud is the variety popularly grown. Hybridization between Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima for desirable qualities led to development and production of new varieties of rice. After harvesting rice is usually processed before it can be distributed to consumers. One of the most popular processing operations commonly practiced in Nigeria and other African countries is parboiling involving soaking of raw rice in water, followed by steam heat treatment and drying. Scientific studies in how variety and parboiling conditions influence rice final qualities are not available. The main purpose of this work was to study the effect of variety, steeping temperature and time on thermophysical properties of parboiled rice.In this study, water absorption characteristics of some rice varieties (Bisalayi, FARO 61, FARO 60, FARO 52 and FARO 44) from Nigeria was studied at 30, 45, 60 and 75oC by measuring the weight gain by grains as a function of time during soaking. Differences in moisture content among the selected varieties of paddy during soaking were significant (P < 0.05) at all temperatures considered in this study. Results showed 60oC to be the optimum soaking temperature of paddy. Optimum soaking time to reach saturation moisture at 60oC soaking water temperature for FARO 44, FARO 52 and Bisalayi was 7 h, while it took 6 and 8 h for FARO 60 and FARO 61, respectively, to attain saturation.Using the experimental moisture data, a non-linear regression procedure was applied to an analytical solution to Fick's second law of the diffusion for an infinite cylinder. The predicted values of instantaneous moisture contents were in good agreement with the experiential data. The predicted moisture content during soaking of rice was found to correlate positively with the measure values of moisture content with R2 values between 0.981 – 0.990. Water absorption rate was found to increase with soaking temperature, while water saturation time decreased with temperature. Average values of diffusion coefficients of moisture during soaking of paddy rices were estimated. It was found that FRAO 44 and FARO 52 varieties have lower diffusivity than other varieties (namely Bisalayi, FARO 61, FARO 60, FARO 52 and FARO 44) used in the study. The activation energies of the diffusivity through different varieties of rice grains were calculated using Arrhenius-type equation for diffusion dependence on temperature and were determined as 41.96, 38.69, 40.16, 34.05 and 42.12 kJ/mole for Bisalayi, FARO 61, FARO 60, FARO 52 and FARO 44 for the respectively rice variety above.The physical and thermal properties of the four popular improved parboiled rice varieties (FARO 61, FARO 60, FARO 52 and FARO 44) and one popular local parboiled rice variety (Bisalayi) from Nigeria were determined at different steaming times 5 – 20 min. Results showed that steaming time has effect (P < 0.05) on both the physical and gelatinization properties of rice. The improved rice varieties used in this study show better hardness and were less discolored than the local variety. For all the rice varieties studied, no residual gelatinization enthalpy was observed at the different steaming times, showing that steaming completely gelatinized rice starch.
Le riz (Oryza sativa Linn) est connu comme étant la principale culture vivrière pour environ la moitié de la population humaine. Le riz occupe le 3e rang en importance après le blé et le maïs en termes de production dans le monde. Dans de nombreuses régions de l'Afrique de l'Ouest, Oryza glaberrima Steud est la variété de préférence. L'hybridation entre Oryza sativa et Oryza glaberrima a conduit au développement et à la production de nouvelles variétés de riz aux qualités désirables. Après la récolte, le riz est habituellement préparé avant d'être distribué aux consommateurs. L'étuvage du riz est un des traitements les plus populaires couramment pratiqués au Nigeria et d'autres pays africains impliquant un temps de trempage des grains de riz paddy dans l'eau, suivi d'un traitement thermique à la vapeur et du séchage. Peu d'études se sont penchées sur l'influence des paramètres d'étuvage et des variétés de riz sur la qualité finale du produit. Le but principal de cette étude était d'évaluer l'impact de la variété de riz, de la température et du temps sur les propriétés thermophysiques du riz étuvé.Dans la présente étude, les caractéristiques d'absorption de l'eau de certaines variétés de riz du Nigeria (Bisalayi , FARO 61, FARO 60, FARO 52 et FARO 44) ont été étudié à 30 , 45 , 60 et 75°C en mesurant le gain de poids des grains pendant le trempage en fonction du temps. Les différences de teneur en eau parmi les variétés de riz paddy durant le trempage étaient significatives (P < 0.05) pour toutes les températures étudiées. Les résultats démontrent que 60°C serait la température de trempage optimale pour le paddy. Le temps de trempage optimal pour atteindre la saturation en eau à une température de trempage de 60°C était de 7h pour les variétés FARO 44, FARO 52 et Bisalayi et un temps de 6h et 8h pour FARO 60 et FARO 61 de façon respective. A partir des données expérimentales de teneur en eau, une procédure de régression non linéaire a été appliquée pour une solution analytique de la deuxième loi de Fick pour la diffusion d'un cylindre infini. Les valeurs prédites de la teneur en eau instantanée sont en accord avec les données expérimental. Un efficient de corrélation variant entre 0.981 – 0.990. Il a été trouvé que le taux d'absorption de l'eau augmente avec la température de trempage, tandis que le temps de saturation diminue avec la température. Les valeurs moyennes des coefficients de diffusion d'humidité pendant le trempage du paddy ont été estimées. Il a été constaté que les variétés FARO 44 et FARO 52 présentent une plus faible diffusivité que les autres variétés (à savoir Bisalayi, FARO 61, FARO 60, FARO 52) de l'étude. Les énergies d'activation de la diffusivité au travers des différentes variétés de grains ont été calculées en utilisant l'équation de type Arrhenius pour la dépendance de la diffusion en fonction de la température. Les énergies d'activation étaient respectivement 41.96, 38.69, 40.16, 34.05 et 42.12 kJ/mole pour Bisalayi, FARO 61, FARO 60, FARO 52 et FARO 44.Les propriétés physiques et thermiques des quatre variétés de riz améliorées les plus populaires (FARO 61, FARO 60, FARO 52 et FARO 44) et d'une variété populaire de riz locale (Bisalayi) du Nigeria ont été déterminées à différents moments entre 5 et 20 min durant l'étuvage. Les résultats démontrent que le temps d'étuvage a un effet (P < 0.05) autant sur les propriétés physiques et de gélatinisation du riz. Les variétés de riz améliorées utilisées dans cette étude ont montré une meilleure dureté et étaient moins décolorées que la variété de riz locale. Pour toutes les variétés de riz étudiées, aucune enthalpie résiduelle de gélatinisation a été observée aux différents moments durant l'étuvage, ce qui démontre que l'étuvage a déjà complètement gélatinisé l'amidon du riz.

Background: Pregnancy is a trigger point for the development of obesity with maternal obesity being associated with significant adverse effects in the mother and child. Nigeria is experiencing a double burden of under- and over-nutrition with rising levels of obesity particularly in women. However, there is scarcity of data on maternal obesity in Nigeria and other African countries. Aims and Objectives: This thesis aimed at identifying crucial components of potential interventions for maternal obesity in Nigeria. The objectives were to assess the prevalence, effects and distribution of maternal obesity; assess the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of pregnant women and maternal healthcare providers and identify existing interventions for maternal obesity in Nigeria. Methodology: A systematic review and meta-analysis was initially conducted. Following this, a quantitative questionnaire survey of the KAP of pregnant women and a qualitative interview study of the KAP of Health Care Workers (HCW) were conducted in seven secondary and tertiary hospitals across Nigeria. Quantitative data was analysed with SPSS statistical software, while thematic analysis was conducted for qualitative data. Results: Twenty-nine studies included in the systematic review showed significant prevalence, socio-demographic associations, and adverse effects of maternal obesity on labour, maternal, and child outcomes in Africa. The questionnaire survey of 435 mothers revealed a maternal obesity prevalence of 17.9% among mothers who registered for antenatal care in the first trimester. Mothers had insufficient knowledge of the causes, complications, and safe ways to manage maternal obesity. However, majority felt that excess gestational weight gain be avoided and some practiced weight management during pregnancy. For the qualitative study, four main themes were identified: 'Concerns about obesity in pregnancy', 'Barriers to care for obese pregnant women', 'Practice of care for obese pregnant women', and 'Improving care for obese pregnant women'. Conclusions: Culturally adaptable/sensitive interventions should be developed for the management of obese pregnant women in Africa. Education and training of mothers and health care workers, and provision of guidelines are some of the components of potential interventions in Nigeria.

Dissertação de Mestrado em Estudos Africanos
Dissertation for obtaining a Master's degree in African Studies
Women political participation in Nigeria politics has been an issue of concern in the Nigerian society at large because women are poorly represented in both elective and appointment positions in the political system. The level of women’s involvement in their nation’s political activities is a topic that most academic researchers tend to discuss with rapt attention and concern. This Paper examined and analysed the efforts and challenges Nigerian women are experiencing in the political space. It went further to look into the participation of women in the pre-colonial, postcolonial and contemporary Nigerian politics. It also discussed the low participation of these women in politics and the social, political, cultural and financial challenges they encounter in their quest to participate or contest in leadership positions. Consequently, the quest to participate in political activities ought to be a voluntary act and not gender based. Citizens of every country, irrespective of their gender, social class or tribe should be able to exercise their civic rights without facing discrimination or being relegated to the background, especially in a democratic country like Nigeria where political participating is believed to be ‘‘ free zoned ’’ for all qualified citizens regardless of their gender. However, the reverse seems to be the case in Nigerian political system. It also discussed the gender inequality in the country’s political system which could be linked to certain cultural and traditional practices that have systematically conditioned and treated women as being inferior to their male counterparts. These ‘‘ practices ’’ could as well be perceived as some of the major factors obstructing the women folks from effectively participating in Nigerian politics. Finally, the paper pointed out some factors that hinder Nigerian women from actively participating in politics, hence provided some recommendations and measures that could be adopted to enhance the re-integration of women in the Nigerian political system.
A participação de mulheres na política da Nigéria tem sido questionada por setores socais, porque as mulheres estão mal representadas em cargos eletivos e nomeados no sistema político nigeriano. Portanto, o nível de envolvimento das mulheres em atividades políticas na Nigéria é um tópico que a maioria de pesquisadores acadêmicos tende a discutir com muita atenção e preocupação. No presente estudo trata-se de uma análise e uma reflexão acerca dos esforços e desafios que as mulheres nigerianas estão enfrentando no espaço político, bem como, interessa-se examinar a presença de mulheres na política nigeriana pré-colonial, pós-colonial e contemporânea. Discute-se, ainda, a baixa participação das mulheres nigerianas na política e os desafios sociais, políticos, culturais e financeiros que elas encontram ao pretenderem disputar cargos de liderança. Desta forma, a busca pela participação em atividades políticas deve ser um ato voluntário e não de gênero. Cidadãos de todos os países, independentemente do gênero, classe social ou tribo, devem exercer seus direitos cívicos sem sofrem quaisquer discriminações ou estarem relegados a segundo plano. Entretanto, parece suceder o oposto no sistema político nigeriano, pois apesar de ser uma democracia em que a participação política é considerada “free zoned” e todos possuem a qualidade de cidadãos. A desigualdade de gênero no sistema político nigeriano pode estar ligada a certas práticas culturais e tradicionais que sistematicamente condicionaram e trataram as mulheres como inferiores aos homens. Estas ‘‘práticas’’ também podem ser percebidas como alguns dos principais fatores que impedem as mulheres de participarem efetivamente da política nigeriana. Finalmente, o estudo aponta alguns fatores que impedem as mulheres nigerianas de participarem ativamente da política e além de fornecer recomendações e medidas que podem ser adotadas no sentindo de melhorar a reintegração das mulheres no sistema político daquele país.
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The purpose of this study was to find out whether there was a shift in emphasis from agriculture to mining in the Nigerian economic development between 1958-1980. This shift in emphasis led .to a lower Gross Development Product (GDP), higher unemployment, decreases in food and agricultural production and reductions in both tax and export revenues.The data used in this thesis were extracted from secondary sources which include: First, Second and Third Federal Government of Nigeria National Development Plans, documents published by the Federal Government of Nigeria. Other sources include publications by organizations, both private and public, and textbooks. The above were the sources through which statistics for this study were compiled.The two most important economic indicators in Nigeria's economy are the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (output), and the expenditures (input), which were used for the analysis.In the analysis of the data, both the absolute and the percentage values for the GDP (output) and expenditure (input) were plotted for various sectors of the economy, ranging from agriculture, mining, manufacturing, electricity, building, distribution, transportation, and education to health were graphically expressed. The various values of each of the sectors were compared to that of agriculture. To substantiate the findings of the absolute values of the expenditure, the percentage values of the expenditure were also graphically expressed.The results of the statistical analysis used indicate the following:1) That agriculture is highly and positively correlated with the other sectors of the Nigerian economy;2) Manufacuring and transportation indicate a shift in emphasis from agriculture to these two sectors;3) There was no shift in emphasis from agriculture to the mining sector of the economy;4) There were also no shifts in emphasis from agriculture to the following sectors of the economy - education, health and electricity;5) Three other sectors - government, building and distribution expenditures - could not be expressed graphically because of the difficulty in aggregating data for these three sectors;6) The mining sector of the Nigerian economy was not a force before 1975 but, since 1975, it has grown at a faster rate than any other sector;7) While the mining and agriculture sectors indicate growth and they grew more than the amount invested in them, the other sectors - manufacturing, transportation, electricity, health and education - took more money in their expenditures than they put out in their GDP's.As a result of the above findings, there may have been other factors responsible for the decline of agriculture in Nigeria's economic development planning. These factors might include: lack of mechanization of farming techniques, bribery and corruption, land tenure system, lack of adequate manpower, the problem of inadequate overall planning and coordination, and the diversification in the Nigerian economy which resulted from the attempt to improve Nigeria's economy.
Department of Urban Planning

Le crédit constitue, au Nigeria comme dans la plupart des pays en en voie d'industrialisation, un élément capital dans le processus de modernisation de la petite agriculture. Il est en même temps la pièce maîtresse du financement des objectifs de production agricole du pays. L'inadéquation et l'insuffisance du crédit bancaire nigérianes aux petits exploitants agricoles laisse une large place aux prêteurs traditionnels, souvent usuriers. Il est donc essentiel que s'instaure progressivement un système de crédit qui puisse affronter les prêteurs sur leur terrain. Cette étude, qui traite du crédit à la petite agriculture au Nigeria consacre une partie à l'évaluation des besoins de financement de quelques importants spéculations agricoles à partir des objectifs des programmes de développement. Elle examine l'organisation générale des réseaux bancaires du point de vue de l'allocation du crédit aux petits exploitants, afin de savoir dans quelle mesure les banques répondent ou non aux besoins exprimés par ces derniers. Elle se penche enfin sur les modalités des interventions en suggérant les améliorations qui pourraient être apportées au système actuel.

This dissertation draws attention to covert efforts directed at African women that seek to negatively affect the family structure and the historic cultural value systems, thereby destabilizing the African family setting, and destroying the society through a process of depopulation in Etsako in Edo State, and by extension, Nigeria and Africa. The researcher employed the African philosophy of politics and government as the conceptual framework most suitable for this research. The American woman’s knowledge of the African woman was investigated. Equally, the African woman was examined to determine what she thinks of her womanhood role. The findings established that the struggle for political development of the African woman is pregnant with meaning, as it is a vital aspect of some of the covert and overt influence of the West directed at the Africans’ root of existence. Other finding include the following: 1. That the Western World has targeted the entire population of Etsako, Nigeria and Africa by an extension, for a political resocialization that is alien to the people of Africa. 2. That the American woman has limited knowledge of the African woman. 3. That in the effort to adversely influence the African woman, some African American women of the intelligentsia are unknowingly being used to facilitate some of the covert efforts. 4. That the African women appreciates her womanhood roles in the home front and her external relations; and, 5.that the African woman’s political efficacy, from a Western political framework, in the African political systems, will destroy the traditional family structure, the cultural and moral basis of the people. This will further destroy the historic African cultural value systems and, eventually lead to a moral void and the collapse of these societies. Deviant behavior and deliberate depopulation will trigger the collapse. The study, therefore, recommends among other things that to prevent such cultural destabilization, the Etsako people and possibly, Nigeria need to educate and politically socialize their women, from an African socio-cultural political framework. This is a major way by which Etsako and Africa by extension will command Western political respect.

Obstetric Fistula is an abnormal opening between the vagina and rectum resulting from prolonged and obstructed labour. It occurs mostly in developing countries and is a neglected maternal health issue in Nigeria. Women’s experiences of living with fistula often reflect gender inequities. This study explored how women attending a reintegration service described their experiences of living with fistula. Using narrative inquiry methodology, 15 women (treated and rehabilitated) were interviewed. Data were analysed using the core story creation and emplotment method of narrative analysis. A reconstructed narrative provided plot headings of ‘fistula ordeal, treatment process, and returning to life’. Fistula formation was linked to the influence of others, geographical remoteness and transport and poor health systems. Fistula survivors and families facilitated access to treatment; aided to cope with incontinence that triggered stigma issues. Negative identity changes through incontinence were: ‘Leaking’ identity, ‘Masu yoyon fitsari’ (the leakers of urine identity), and ‘spoiled’ identity. Attending the repair centre conferred hope and relief through mutual survivors (‘Masu yoyon fitsari’) support. ‘Spoiled’ identity reflected the challenges of the ‘leaking’ identity in the face of ‘failings’ as a woman with respect to sexual and reproductive responsibilities. Reversing the negative identities was pivotal in the women’s resilience in seeking a cure. The ‘improved’ identity achieved after fistula repair and rehabilitation provided continence control and improved financial status. This research is the first known comprehensive empirical study of the experiences of treated and rehabilitated obstetric fistula survivors in Nigeria. The prevalence of fistula in Nigeria reflects inequitable distribution of health care compounded by socio-cultural practices. This research is the first application to women’s health in the African context using Frank’s narrative typology. The study contributes to the empirical evidence of women’s pathway through developing fistula, to treatment, and rehabilitation into family and community life in Nigeria.

Management literature lacks a deeper understanding of barriers to Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) leadership among women entrepreneurs in Nigeria focusing on women leaders' daily business experiences, their agency, and their entrepreneurial context. Women in Nigeria seeking promotion to leadership roles in SMEs continue to look for answers on how to surmount the multiple barriers hampering their leadership aspirations. To address this need, this study was designed to explore how women entrepreneurs in Nigeria describe barriers to SME leadership through narratives about their daily business experiences, their agency, and their entrepreneurial context. The women's entrepreneurial development in Nigeria, the Nigerian women's entrepreneurial leadership style, and the agentic behavior of women leaders provided the conceptual framework for this work. A qualitative narrative inquiry method was adopted, and data were gathered through face-to-face semistructured interviews. The participants were a purposeful sample of 10 Nigerian women entrepreneurial leaders over the age of 30. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Five thematic categories emerged and were used to answer the research question. Study findings showed that Nigerian women entrepreneurial leaders face challenges due to family, gender, and patriarchal attitudes of the culture. The study shows the experiences, challenges, and triumphs of these courageous and resilient Nigerian women entrepreneurial leaders. Positive social change implications include providing training, mentoring programs, and information to guide, empower, and equip upcoming women entrepreneurial leaders to avert challenges in the future.

Type 2 diabetes is a complex metabolic disorder characterized by hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia that affects fat, protein, and carbohydrate metabolism. Researchers have identified that for individuals with Type 2 diabetes, staying on interventions for diabetes self-management is sometimes difficult and challenging. It is an increasing public health concern, especially in certain minority populations and in many developing and developed nations. This is especially true for the population of women 40 years and older in Mgbidi, Nigeria. In the Enugu State of Nigeria, women bear most of the burden of Type 2 diabetes when compared to the males in the state. This study explored and evaluated the impediments to self-managed Type 2 diabetes among Mgbidi women in the Enugu State of Nigeria, West Africa, using a qualitative phenomenological approach. The concept of impediments influencing cultural behavior was used as the guiding framework. The participants were a group of 9 women 40 years and older who live with Type 2 diabetes. Face-to-face in-depth structured and unstructured interviews were used for the data collection. The responses of the participants were recorded using a tape recorder with their consent. Their responses were analyzed using aspects of Hycner's and Colaizzi's approach for analyzing phenomenological data. The result of this study supported and expanded on the findings of the current literature review. Individual and social challenges and barriers came to light; such as lack of or non-functioning care centers, lack of diabetes related education, and misconceptions like ignorance, social support and medications behaviors. The use of the concept of impediments influencing culturally sensitive self-management behavior of type 2 Diabetes strengthened the study. The findings could help to enhance cultural sensitive diabetes education for this population and other populations who have diabetes in this community.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2004.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This project aimed at enhancing the net benefit in production systems. It took a holistic approach to evaluate the potential interactions of herbaceous legumes in relation to weed dynamics, soil fertility and livestock management in the crop-livestock system in Nigeria. The project was carried out between 2000 and 2002 in two localities. These were the National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) at Zaria in the northern Guinea savannah and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) at Ibadan in the derived savannah. The main experiment was carried out in the northern Guinea savannah, while the secondary experiments were simultaneously conducted in the derived savannah and the northern Guinea savannah. The experimental design for the three experiments reported in this thesis is a splitsplit plot, fitted into randomised complete block design (RCBD), with four replications. Main plot treatments were herbaceous legumes, namely Vigna unguiculata, Arachis hypogaea, Glycine max, Aeschynomene bistrix, Centrosema pascuorum, Stylosanthes guianensis and natural vegetation. Sub-plot treatments were management systems (1) M1, 'residues left in the field'; (2) M2, 'residues taken out of the field' and (3) M3, 'residues fed to livestock, manure/urine/refused feeds returned'. Sub-plot treatments were administered in a sequence following rotational fallows of herbaceous legumes and natural vegetation. However, plots in the secondary experiments were not subdivided before the cropping of maize in 2002, and for logistical reasons only two sub-plot treatments, M1and M2, are featured in this experiment. Herbaceous legumes were established at the start of the rainy season, approximately in June, in 2000, 2001 and 2002. All herbaceous legumes received single super phosphate (SSP) at 20kg ha" P20S at planting, while minimum hand weeding was done to maintain pure legume stands during the establishment phase. Forage biomass was higher in the derived savannah than in the northern Guinea savannah. Similarly, higher forage yields were observed after two consecutive years of legume fallow and natural vegetation, compared to the first year plots. Grain yield for Glycine max was consistently higher than for the other two grain legumes in 2001 and 2002. Chemical analysis of herbaceous legumes and natural vegetation showed that crude protein values ranged between 11.2% to 17.3% for legumes; that was significantly (p<0.05) higher than the 8.6% value found for natural vegetation. Moreover, all herbaceous legumes and natural vegetation, except Arachis hypogaea, had dry matter digestibility values of more than 30%. Maize grain and stover yields on herbaceous legumes fallowed plots were evaluated and compared with those for natural vegetation. Results in 2001, i.e. after a one-year fallow with legumes, indicated that the dry matter of maize grain and stover yields in the Stylosanthes guianensis plots were higher among the forage legumes. Arachis hypogaea gave the highest grain and stover yields among the grain legumes in the northern Guinea savannah. Results in 2002, i.e. after a two-year fallow, also showed that the productivity of maize planted on Arachis hypogaea and Glycine max fallowed plots were consistently higher across the three management systems tested in the Centrosema pascuorum, Glycine max, Aeschynomene histrix, Vigna unguiculata and least weight gain was recorded for the natural vegetation. Objective functions in linear optimisation, or linear combinations in algebra, used to link dynamic processes in livestock production (Iiveweight gain) with the dynamic processes in soils (soil nitrogen), weeds (weed biomass), herbaceous legumes (legume biomass) and crop production (maize grain and stover yields) under varying management systems took the form: Management system 1, Y, = f (XI, Xz, x4); Yr= 0 Management system 2, Y, = f (x" x2); Yz = 0 Management system 3, Y, = f (XI, Xz, xl); Yz= f (XI, Xz, X4. x5) Where (1) (2) (3) Y1 = Crop in kg; Y2 = Livestock weight gain in kg; X1= Weed in kg; X2 = Soil N g kg-1; X3 = Livestock compost in kg; N= Herbaceous legumes in kg; X5 = Maize stover in kg, for the three management systems considered in this experiment. Deductions from these equations showed that Aeschynomene histrix performed better under M1, i.e. when legumes residues were left on the field. Natural vegetation performed better than the herbaceous legumes under M2, i.e. when legumes residues were exported out of the field. However, the presence of manure in M3 enhanced soil fertility in the system and improved the overall productivity across all the legumes and natural vegetation. Overall rankings, conducted by pooling all components in the system, indicated that Glycine max performed best among the legumes, followed by Stylosanthes guianensis and Arachis hypogaea, which ranked second and viithird respectively. In relation to the specific legume groups, Stylosanthes guianensis performed better than the other two forage legumes, while Glycine max also performed better than the other two grain legumes tested. We can see from these on-station research results that there are indications of positive opportunities for improving overall productivity and resources. This can be done through integrating and complementing crop and livestock production, to provide a sustainable intensification of agriculture.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie is uitgevoer om die potensiële wisselwerking van kruidagtige peulplante met onkruiddinamika, grondvrugbaarheid en veebestuur te evalueer. Die hoofeksperiment in die "Northern Guinea Savannah" is vanaf 2000 tot 2002 uitgevoer by die "National Animal Production Research Institute" (NAPRI) in Zaria, Nigerië. Die twee sekondêre eksperimente is gelyktydig in Zaria en by die "International Institute of Tropical Agriculture" (liTA) naby Ibadan in die "Derived Savannah" uitgevoer. Die eksperimentele ontwerp was 'n dubbel gesplete perseelontwerp gepas in 'n volledig ewekansige blokontwerp met vier herhalings. Die hoofkomponente was die kruidagtige peulplante naamlik: Vigna unguiculata, Arachis hypogaea, Glycine max, Aeschynomene histrix, Centrosema pascuorum, Stylosanthes guianensis en natuurlike plantegroei. Die gekose peulplante is potensieel aangepas vir uiteenlopende omgewings en word dikwels na verwys as "'n mandjie van opsies". Subperseel behandelings was (1) peulplant gevestig en gelaat op die land - M1; (2) peulplant gevestig, geoes en weggeneem uit die land M2 en (3) peulplant gevestig, geoes, vir vee gevoer, mis/urine/vermorste voer terug na die land - M3. Die dubbel gesplete perseel behandelings is toegedien in 'n sekere volgorde nadat die peulplant rusoes/braak toegepas is. In die eerste jaar is die kruidagtige peulplante geplant op die hoofperseel van 25m by Sam. In die tweede jaar is die hoofperseel verdeel in twee persele waar onderskeidelik peulplante en mielies gevestig is terwyl daar in die derde jaar 'n verdere verdeling was wat gelei het tot verskillende gewasrotasiestelsels, nl. Peulplant-peulplant-mielies, peulplant-mielies-peulplant en peulplant-mielies-mielies. Parameters wat insluit planthoogte, -wydte en persentasie grondbedekking van die kruidagtige peulplante is tweeweekliks gemeet op vier 1M2 persele wat ewekansig oor elke hoofperseel versprei is in beide gebiede waar die studie uitgevoer is. Resultate het getoon dat die kruidagtige peulplante wat getoets is potensiële kandidate is vir insluitings in gewas/weiding rotasiesteiseis. Alhoewel voerproduksie hoër was in die "derived savannah" as in die "northern Guinea savannah", het die prestasie van die peulplante in die noordelike savannah gevarieer met die gewasproduksiestelsels. Hoër opbrengste is gerealiseer na twee opeenvolgende jare van oesrus met peulplante vergeleke met die eerste jaar waar daar geen residuele effek van die peulplante was nie, en die laaste jaar wat deur 'n mielie-oes voorafgegaan is. Biomassa opbrengste na twee jaar van aanhoudende verbouiing was die hoogste vir S. guianensis en die laagste vir A. hypogea. Ruproteien inhoud van die kruidagtige peulplante het gewissel van 170 g kg-1 DM in A. hypogea tot 62.4 g kg-1 DM in A histrix. Graanproduksie deur G. max was deurlopend hoër in 2001 en 2002 vergeleke met die twee ander graanproduserende peulplante nl. V. unguiculata en A. hypogea. Die voerproduksie in 2002 was heelwat hoër as die vorige jaar. Rotasie effekte op mieliegraan en oesreste na peulplante is vergelyk oor die dubbel gesplete persele (areas met verskillende oesruslengtes) om die ximplikasies van hulle residuele effek op grondvrugbaarheid verbetering en onkruid dinamika te bepaal. Mielie-opbrengs na een jaar van rusoes toon hoër waardes op persele wat onder kruidagtige peulplante was vergeleke met natuurlike plantegroei. Net so was die opbrengs deurlopend hoër op persele waar daar graan peulplante was as waar daar voer peulplante was. Oor die algemeen was die waardes hoër vir G. max, gevolg deur A. hypogea, A. histrix, C. pascuorum, V. unguiculata, S. guianensis en die laagste vir natuurlike plantegroei. In terme van die bestuurstelsels, het persele wat kompos ontvang het (M3) beter as die ander twee bestuurstelsels presteer (2.6 Mg ha" mieliegraan). Produksie van mieliegraan en oesreste na twee opeenvolgende jare van mielieverbouing was die hoogste na G. max (7.2 Mg ha" mieliegraan), gevolg deur die A. histrix perseel en die laagste op S. guianensis persele. Algemene waarnemings oor die twee subpersele wat met mielies beplant was in 2002 het getoon dat mielies beter presteer het op persele wat twee opeenvolgende jare met peulplante beplant was. Onkruidsamestelling en verspreiding is in beide die peulplante en natuurlike plantegroei gemeet. Grond vir saadbankontledings is op diagonale transekte in 0.5m by 0.5m kwadrate gemonster. Grondmonsters is ge-analiseer vir pH, totale stikstof, organiese koolstof, fosfor, kalsium en magnesium. Hierdie parameters is gebruik in 'n meervoudige regressie ontleding om hulle effek op onkruidspesievoorkoms te bepaal. Onkruidgetalle in lande na In rusoes het In deurlopende hoër vlak van besmetting getoon op die natuurlike plantegroei persele as op die peulplant persele. Die prestasie in terme van onkruidonderdrukking was in dalende volgorde: S. guianensis, C. pascuorum, V. ungucuilata, G. max, A. hypogaea en A. histrix. Die onkruidsamestelling het verskilonder die verskillende behandelings en dit het ook met tyd verander in dieselfde behandelings. In Bykomende eksperiment met die peulplante is uitgevoer om hulle effek op inname en groei van skape, asook die effek op kompos wat gemaak is van vermorste materiaal en uitskeidings van die skape, te bepaal. Droë materiaal verteerbaarheid was hoog vir S guianensis, G. max en A. histrix terwyl die laagste syfer verkry is by A. hypogea (177.6 g kg-1 DM). Ramme wat met kruidagtige peulplante gevoer is het beter presteer as die wat met natuurlike plantegroei gevoer is. Ramme wat met A. hypogaea gevoer is, het In gemiddelde daaglikse toename (GOT) getoon van 85.7 g daq", gevolg deur S. guianensis, C. pascuorum, G. max, A. histrix, V. unguiculata en laaste natuurlike plantegroei. Bykomende ontledings was gemik daarop om objektiewe funksies af te lei om dinamiese prosesse in vee (massatoename) met dinamiese prosesse in grond (grond N), onkruid (onkruidmassa), kruidagtige peulplante (peulplantmassa) en mielies (mieliegraan en oesreste massas) onder verskillende bestuurstelsels te verbind. In In poging om objektiewe funksies xiivan die verskillende komponente van die studie te bepaal, is die volgende lineêre funksies vir die drie bestuurstelsels oorweeg nl. Bestuurstelsel1. Yl = f (Xl, xz, x.); Yz= 0 Bestuurstelsel 2, Yl = f (Xl, Xz); Yz= 0 Bestuurstelsel3, Yl = f (Xl, X2, Xl); Yz= f (Xl. Xz. x.. les) Waar (1) (2) (3) Y1 = Oesopbrengs in kg; Y2 = Daaglikse massatoename in kg; X1 = Onkruidmassa in kg; X2 = Grond N in g kg-1 ; X3 = Kompos in kg; X4 = Kruidagtige peulplante in kg; X5 = Mieliereste in kg. Onder bestuurstelsel 1, het A. histrix beter as die ander gewasse presteer, terwyl natuurlike veld beter presteer het onder bestuurstelsel 2. Dit is 'n aanduiding dat bestuurstelsel 2 nie volhoubaar is nie. Die derde bestuurstelsel verteenwoordig volle integrasie van gewas en vee produksiestelsels. Die teenwoordigheid van mis in die stelsel het grondvrugbaarheid verbeter en algemene produktiwiteit verbeter. Hierdie resultate dui aan dat daar geleenthede is om algemene produktiwiteit te verbeter deur integrasie en komplementering van gewas- en veeproduksiestelsels om volhoubare intensifikasie van landbou te bereik.

This research recommended ways in which Nigeria could unlock constraints to commercialization and investment in the Nigerian agricultural sector for sustained economic growth, enhanced food security, increased competitiveness of products in the domestic, regional and international markets, sustainable environmental management and poverty alleviation.

The study is an investigation of the sustainability of agriculture in Nigeria using Rubber as case study. Edo and Abia states were sampled for the study with 300 questionnaires administered in 10 communities among rubber farmers. The study is an investigation of the socio-demographic distribution of the rubber farmers, perception of rubber farmers, and influence of government activities. Sources of information and the data were cumulated for Nigeria as a whole. The data were analyzed using statistical analysis. Findings indicated the distribution of rubber farmers on socio-demographic distribution, sources of funds, and the effects on agricultural sustainability in Nigeria. Farmers’ reaction to government activities and recommendations were stated alongside the challenges encountered by the farmers and were analyzed. concluded that provision of funds, basic infrastructural facilities, government increased participation, restructuring laws and policies relating to agriculture and provision of information on improved agricultural technology are needed for agricultural sustainability in Nigeria.

The thesis has been divided into five chapters. The three central chapters reflect paradigmatic shifts in Nigerian historiography. During the colonial era, although a few texts written by Nigerians entered the published literature, most writing was produced by non-Africans, anthropologists and colonial administrators, for the purpose of social investigation and control. With the establishment of Nigerian universities in 1948, academic historians, fuelled by the desire for independence, reclaimed their discipline to write local and national political histories. Encouraged by the concerns of the North American feminist movement of the 1970s, women gained an increasing presence in research and literature.
Contrary to earlier arguments, categories for representations of women in history coexist in time. There are periods such as the nationalist era, in which women are almost invisible. When women are present in the literature, however, they are seen both in complementary power relationships with men in certain economic areas, such as trading, and in other areas, such as taxation, subject to male power. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

The main research problem in this study is whether law and specifically the human rights framework can speak to the lived experiences and realities of the disabled Nigerian woman. This thesis reflects the frustrations that I experience with my own intersectional identity as a (Nigerian, Yoruba and disabled) woman. These frustrations begin with Nigerian law, specifically its human rights framework and its perception of the disabled woman. One illustration is that the law demands that one must choose between being a woman (identity category) and being disabled (identity category). Yet, the disabled woman has trouble choosing one of these established identity categories because she is a woman and disabled at the same time. The law makes these demands without necessarily recognising and contemplating the interaction and intersection between sex(ism) and disability (discrimination). Unfortunately, because the disabled woman does not neatly fit into the human rights categories, she is labelled deviant and denied protection.1 In most cases, Nigerian law even makes the choice: on the strength of the disability the law decides that one is less of a woman and more disabled, and so refuses to contemplate and recognise the gendered and emergent nature of disability.2 Thus the limits of the law and human rights in speaking to the complex and intersectional lived realities of the disabled Nigerian woman become evident. The law, and specifically the human rights framework, is often portrayed as a saviour of some sort. For instance, a number of commentators point to the need for a Nigerian law and human rights framework that will protect the rights of disabled persons.3 The acquisition of rights, particularly for vulnerable groups who have previously been denied access to these rights, can be empowering and there is no denying the value of a legal and human rights framework. This in turn raises the question that is asked in this thesis. The position I hold is that law and specifically the human rights framework, while having enormous value, is limited in its ability to speak to the lived realities of disabled women. In my view, this limitation results from a failure to recognise the complexities, interactions and intersections that exist between identity categories such as sex, gender, ethnicity or race, sexuality, class, age, culture, religion and disability. Specifically, in this case, the law fails to recognise the interactions and intersections between sex(ism) and disability (discrimination) in the country. However, I argue that the product of these unacknowledged interactions and intersections crucially underlie and form the lived realities of the disabled woman.
Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2019.
Jurisprudence
PhD
Unrestricted

Pregnancy outcomes have improved tremendously in developed countries. Notwithstanding, it is still a huge challenge in developing countries, especially Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2015 in Nigeria, about 145 women died daily from pregnancy-related causes. Similarly, nearly 2,300 children under 5 years were lost in the same year. Nigeria consistently underperformed in some of the critical pregnancy indicators such as maternal and neonatal mortality, second worst only to India in the world. Studies on poor pregnancy outcomes are scarce in Nigeria. The purpose of this quantitative, retrospective cross-sectional study was to use local evidence to ascertain the risk factors that predict poor pregnancy outcomes for women of childbearing age (15-49 years old) in Nigeria. The theoretical framework for this study was the social cognitive theory. Secondary data from 400 pregnant women from Island Maternity Hospital, Nigeria, was used for this study. Five central research questions were analyzed through univariate and multiple logistic regressions. The results indicated moderate to strong statistically significant associations between outcomes of last pregnancy, gestational age at delivery, mode of delivery, and the timing of antenatal care booking with maternal mortality, neonatal mortality, and low birth weight, even after controlling for other covariates. Findings from this study may foster positive social change by further enhancing the understanding of poor pregnancy outcomes, especially in Nigeria. It will help public health practitioners, policymakers, community leaders and other stakeholders to design strategies and interventions that will take advantage of cultural and religious norms and educational status of women of childbearing age in promoting reproductive health in Nigeria.

Women entrepreneurs play increasingly important roles in job creation and sustainable economic growth in developing economies, including sub-Saharan Africa. While Nigeria has made progress in closing gender gaps in women’s employment rights, financial inclusion and access to resources remain challenges for many women who seek to start and grow businesses. Barriers to venture creation are particularly problematic for women entrepreneurs living in rural Nigeria. Yet, few studies have examined women entrepreneurs’ access to capital in the context of rural Nigeria, including the perceived value of informal lenders and government support programs. This thesis informs the literature by reporting on women entrepreneurs who own and operate retail micro-enterprises in rural, South-West Nigeria, specifically Atakunmosa West, Osun State. The study findings demonstrate the value and limitations of informal lenders, such as Ajo and Esusu, in bridging institutional voids in banking practices and technology-enabled money services. Drawing on the social feminist and resource-based theory, the study advances a conceptual model of the gendered context of financial inclusion and considers the implications for research and policy.

Thesis (MDF)--Stellenbosch University, 2011.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Agricultural financing has a wide and deep history in Nigeria, owing to the fact that the Nigerian economy has huge potentials for growth especially from its agriculture sector which is the second largest contributor to GDP. Since the establishment of the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme over 30 years ago, the total sum of 647,351 loans amounting to over N34 billion have been disbursed to farmers as at 2009. The result from this study shows that the guarantee scheme has been effective in providing agricultural financing as well as stimulating agricultural production in Nigeria. More specifically, the study found that, out of the five variables used in the models to determine agricultural performance, the credit finance provided under the ACGS and foreign exchange rates was found to be statistically significant to agricultural output. The credit provided under the ACGS has a significant effect on aggregate output; it was also found that the crop and the fishery subsectors are significantly affected by the credit finance provided under the ACGS, due to their short gestation period. However, the livestock and forestry subsectors do not have an immediate significant relationship with the credit finance due to their long gestation period; rather, they have a significant relationship with the depreciation of foreign exchange rates. A major policy implication from the study is that the government should continue to promote and support the operations of the ACGS to encourage farmers to invest their best efforts in agricultural production in Nigeria for food production and for enhanced agricultural export.

This study investigates women's economic empowerment in relation to micro'credit schemes in southern Nigeria. The study also evaluates the benefits and limitations of micro'credit as a resourceful means of enhancing women's economic activities in the labour market and eliminating poverty among market and rural women. Micro'credit schemes and institutions which provide soft loans to women have become a critical tool in development programmes aiming to empower them. The Nigerian government (both at Federal and State levels) has pursued this development trend since 1985 and today, it is estimated that an increasing number of Nigerian women participate in these schemes. Besides, it is widely accepted among development practitioners that micro'credit schemes not only contribute to poverty reduction but also empower the have'nots. My research design has drawn on gender analytical frameworks such as the 1980 Harvard Analytical Framework, Kabeer's 1998 Women's Empowerment Assessment, and Mayoux' 2001 micro'credit empowerment paradigm. This study employed as its methodology, ethnographic field research. This includes semi'structured interviews and participant observation. In addition, data was obtained from state databases, archives and development websites. Throughout, both qualitative and quantitative methods and analysis were used. This study found that women in southern Nigeria are extensively engaged in economic activities. It also established that micro'credit provides finance to enhance market and rural women's participation in production and trade. The study further ascertains that women have some control over their loans. However, increased economic activities may have also increased participants' financial responsibilities and household decision'making is still a prerogative of male head of the family. In addition, this study found that older married women in this region enjoy a comparatively high degree of personal mobility, but restrictions on travel in terms of distance and time are very common for younger married women. These restrictions are sanctioned by customs, household obligations, and social infrastructures. While problems with the transportation network have enhanced the middlemen's domination of economic activities in this region they increased women's dependence on their services. All this renders empowerment for women more difficult to achieve although it makes a practical contribution to their everyday lives.

Despite women’s involvement in agriculture, their contributions have been overlooked in society. Women make up at least a third of those involved in agriculture as farmers, landowners, and in agricultural faculty positions. These numbers do not appear to be decreasing. Although there are several agricultural roles, this study focuses primarily on those women who own agricultural land, but do not farm the land themselves. Rather, these women rent it out to a farmer who operates the land for them (women nonoperating landowners or WNOLs, in short). Previous research suggests these women may be facing considerable barriers as an agricultural landowner and several gaps exist in research. This dissertation contributes to this body of research through a series of three studies. I first begin by conducting an analysis of 361 photos posted on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) website and social media to determine how they are representing women in agriculture. In terms of the numbers of women portrayed, who is the focus of the photograph, and if women are portrayed in an agricultural role, the findings reveal that women are severely underrepresented in comparison to males. The second study compiles a series of interviews with WNOLs to understand power dynamics in terms of decision-making between the woman landowner and her farm operator, or renter (as they are referred to in this study). The findings reveal three groups of women: those who are begrudgingly yielding their power to their renter; those who share power mutually; and those who refuse to yield power. Each of these groups of women reveal the many experiences facing WNOLs today. In the third study, interviews are conducted with WNOLs and agricultural agency women staff, both of whom have been involved in participating in a unique outreach method. This method helps provide women opportunities to increase their human, social, and cultural capital through engagement with one another and learning about various agricultural practices. Both groups of women are asked about the barriers they perceive WNOLs to be facing, along with what aspects of the outreach they feel are most beneficial in addressing these barriers. Results from this study suggest that women face considerable barriers to ownership, both from feeling they lack knowledge and with issues in their renter relationship. However, the outreach methods prove to be a powerful tool that help these women connect with one another and increase their knowledge about agricultural practices. Overall, these three studies help to advance the research on women in agriculture.

Malaria is a mosquito transmitted tropical disease that accounts for more cases and deaths in Nigeria than in any other country worldwide. Globally malaria accounts for 300,000 deaths among young children and pregnant women annually. The promotion of the use of insecticide treated nets (ITNs) to reduce pregnant women's contact with mosquitoes has been the focus of malaria prevention efforts in Nigeria. However, the use of ITNs during pregnancy has been inexplicably low in Nigeria. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted to examine barriers to the utilization of ITNs among pregnant women in rural Nigeria. The social ecological model was utilized to analyze secondary data from a 2015 survey conducted in Nigeria in which 4,834 pregnant women between 15 to 49 years of age participated. The relationship between the use of ITNs and the knowledge of ITNs, traditional medicine, education, and family income was examined using multiple logistic regression modeling. Results showed that there was a significant relationship between the knowledge of ITN (p = 0.000), family income (p = 0.000), education of pregnant women (p = 0.000) and the use of ITN among pregnant women in rural Nigeria. However, there was no relationship between the use of traditional medicine (p = >0.5), and the use of ITN, perhaps because most of the women surveyed did not respond to the question about use of traditional medicine. Results of the study have important implications for positive social changes among pregnant women in Nigeria. These findings will inform strategies to increase the uptake of ITNs during pregnancy in Nigeria, improving birth outcomes, increasing maternal and child survival, and decreasing the economic burden due to malaria morbidity and mortality in rural Nigeria.

Pensions are fundamentally methods of addressing and managing the risks of aging. However, in terms of coverage, the acknowledged difference between the formal and informal sector workers in developing countries has led to the assumption that people in the formal sector do not have to worry about pension. Against this background, this thesis investigates the extent to which pension ensures adequate income for retired women civil servants in Nigeria. Understanding these women‘s retirement experiences necessitated an approach that incorporated gendered life course and gendered political economy. Central to a life course approach is the notion that it is difficult to divorce pension and retirement outcomes from the life course experiences that precede them. A gendered political economy approach allows for the de-bunking of the unitary household model and enables the adaptation of Razavi‘s ―care diamond‖ with a focus on retirees‘ financial support for dependants. By using interviews and questionnaires, this thesis analyses the links between and comparisons across pension schemes, educational levels, retirement age, pension entitlements, adequacy and supplements. Cross tabulation is used as a lead to identifying and pursuing potential patterns in dataset and digging deep into the factors that impact women‘s pension adequacy. Despite the limitations of the study, it is apparent that in the context of normative expectations of extended family structure, linked lives, high rate of un/under employment of dependants and limited (and high cost of ) access to social provisioning, pension is and will always be inadequate. This then forces formal sector women retirees into the informal sector to supplement their pension income. Findings of the study clearly demonstrate that the sustainable provision of formal sector pensions should not be the end of policy concerns about wellbeing in later life; but the start of a much wider focus on social provision and social relations in later life. This study‘s findings have implications for the pension, ageing and social protection policies in Nigeria, which are applicable to the wider sub Saharan African. The implications of this study for assessing pension adequacy also extend beyond Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Malaria adversely affects pregnant women and their fetuses or neonates. Estimates of the malaria burden in pregnant women based on health facilities often do not present a true picture of the problem due to the low proportion of women delivering at these facilities in malaria-endemic regions. METHODS: Data for this study were obtained from the Healthy Beginning Initiative using community-based sampling. Self-identified pregnant women between the ages of 17-45 years were recruited from churches in Enugu State, Nigeria. Malaria parasitaemia was classified as high and low based on the malaria plus system. RESULTS: Of the 2069 pregnant women for whom malaria parasitaemia levels were recorded, over 99 % tested positive for malaria parasitaemia, 62 % showed low parasitaemia and 38 % high parasitaemia. After controlling for confounding variables, odds for high parasitaemia were lower among those who had more people in the household (for every one person increase in a household, OR = 0.94, 95 % CI 0.89-0.99). CONCLUSION: Results of this study are consistent with hospital-based estimates of malaria during pregnancy in southeastern Nigeria. Based on the high prevalence of malaria parasitaemia in this sample, education on best practices to prevent malaria during pregnancy, and resources in support of these practices are urgently needed.

This thesis attempts to analyze the military government's role in solving the country's agricultural problems. This analysis is essential because it was during the military's stay in power that Nigeria's potential as a selfsufficient and food exporting nation declined. Materials collected to analyze the above problems reveal that the military government's lack of adequate personnel to supervise and implement decisions taken on agriculture, unplanned schemes, and unresearched projects were partly responsible for the government's inability to solve Nigeria's agricultural problems. While it may be necessary to blame the military government for not being able to completely solve the country's numerous agricultural problems, the presence of global political and economic decisions seriously hampered measures taken by the military government.

The thesis empirically examined the implications of microfinance scaling up or sustainability on outreach in Nigeria. Basically, two methodologies were used namely, panel data econometric and survey methods. The panel dataset of 752 microfinance banks in Nigeria was used during the period 2011-2014, while the survey was conducted on some selected microfinance banks in Federal Capital Territory, Abuja in 2014. The findings from the thesis showed that, at the national level, yield, labour cost, orientation, efficiency, gender and size of loans are the major drivers of microfinance banks‟ sustainability in Nigeria. While at the state level, microfinance banks sustainability is driven by orientation and loan size. Findings also showed that sustainable MFBs tend to be more focused on the poor clients. The thesis showed that lending to female clients improves repayment rate of MFBs in Nigeria. Corroborating the regression result, the survey findings also suggest that lending to women had improved and enhanced repayment rate. In view of these findings, the thesis recommends that sustainability and outreach are not necessarily incompatible. However in pursuing sustainability greater attention should be on female clients, as greater lending to women would improve the repayment rate of MFBs and further engendered the industry sustainability.

This thesis is a micro-history of gender relations in nineteenth-century Yorùbáland (present-day south-west Nigeria) using the town of Abẹ́òkúta as a case study. It investigates the lived experiences of men and women in a time of radical and sweeping political, economic, social and cultural changes characterised by violent and debilitating intra-ethnic wars that lasted almost a century; the advent of Christian missionaries and their corresponding influences; the spread of Islam; and the dawn of British colonialism. It challenges existing frameworks for understanding gender in Africa, which often considers sex categories only, by exploring how the intersections of sex, age and socio-economic status shaped the pre-colonial gendered experience. Since nineteenth-century Yorùbáland was essentially a gerontocratic society, it analyses gender from a lifecycle perspective, illuminating how the lived experiences of males and females transformed from childhood, to youth to adulthood and then old age and eventually death. The study engages with current discourses about the highly contested notion of the presence of gender categories in Yorùbá society. Decades of research have either confirmed or contested the idea that gender categories based on biological sex existed in pre-colonial times. While some feminist authors, such as Oyeronke Oyewumi, have argued that sex-based gendered categories are strictly a western invention in Yorùbáland and most of Africa, others, including Bolanle Awe and Oyeronke Olademo have taken a more middle road. They claim instead that although sexed categories were present in precolonial times, Africans did not view sexual difference in western terms of male superiority and female subordination, neither was sex a significant contributor to a person’s life trajectories. They have argued that Western and African experiences had marked differences and that the relationship between men and women in Yorùbáland were complementary. Using nineteenth- and early twentieth-century written sources and oral traditions and building on the works of certain social historians who contest these constructions of the past, this thesis counters the gender complementarity arguments and contends instead that sex played a more significant role in the nineteenth century than previously realised. It maintains that although age hierarchies played a substantial role in social differentiation, sex was also an important factor in determining a person’s quality of life and future aspirations. Although the study is focused on women, a significant portion of the thesis discusses men in order to contextualise women’s experiences. It argues that since gender relations permeated all aspects of society including non-discursive practices, to study the experience of only one sex would give an incomplete and perhaps distorted view of society.

Background: The effect of Malaria attack on maternal and child health in Nigeria is high compared with other countries in sub Saharan Africa. This problem has been a persistent issue in Nigeria and many researchers have tried to proffer solutions. Insecticide treated nets (ITN) have been identified as providing approximately 80% protection against malaria attack. However, all the measures put in place to control malaria failed to meet up with the set target of the Roll Back Malaria Initiative, which aimed at reducing malaria deaths in Nigeria by half by 2010 in line with the Millennium Development Goals (Anyaehie et al., 2009). As part of the global initiative to reduce malaria deaths before 2015 (Amoran, Senbanjo and Asagwara, 2011) the Nigerian government introduced intervention programmes to protect pregnant women, and children under-five years of age (Anyaehie et al., 2011). However, although there has been considerable and effective intervention in controlling this preventable disease in the African continent, marked inconsistency in the distribution of the ITN, scarcity and low usage in Nigeria (Amoran, Senbanjo and Asagwara, 2011) are apparent, despite emphasis on community-based strategies for malaria control (Obinna, 2011). For midwives in rural Nigeria the disproportionate vulnerability of pregnant women and young children is of great concern. This particular issue is the focus of a hermeneutic phenomenological inquiry into the experiences of pregnant women and mothers in their efforts to protect their families and themselves from malaria attack. The study contends that the ‘big (pan-African/national) story’ of malaria has found many voices, speaking from a predominantly positivist perspective. While some more interpretivist approaches to exploring experience have been employed elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa (Rachel and Frank 2005), there remains a need for more participatory research related to health care issues in Nigeria (Abdullahi et al 2013). Women and children make up the majority of the Nigeria population of over 160 million. An attack of malaria on them affects entire households and the economy of the nation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to give voice to the ‘small (household) stories’ of Nigerian women (mothers and health workers), living and working in impoverished rural communities, and consider how their viewpoints, perspectives and imaginings might contribute to the fight for a malaria-free Nigeria. Methodological approach: The research draws on the philosophy of Martin Heidegger, Hans-Georg Gadamer, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. The participants’ accounts are interpreted in terms of Africana ‘Womanism’ as defined by Hudson-Weems (1993), the socio-narratology approach elaborated by Frank (2010), and Igbo world-view. Research procedure: Individual semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with Igbo women in three rural communities in Enugu State in eastern Nigeria (Nsukka, Ngwo, and Amechi). This was a three-phase process involving an initial orientation visit to engage with local gatekeepers and community health workers. A first round of interviews and discussion took place in three communities in 2014, followed by the first phase of interpretation. A second field trip took place in 2015, during which participants discussed the ongoing interpretation and elaborated further on some of the issues raised. Interpretive phases 2 and 3 followed this visit. Interpretive process: Interpretive shifts in understanding were accomplished in three ways: 1. Seeking thematic connections between participants’ accounts of living with the threat of malaria. 2. Engaging in dialogical narrative analysis to explore the work done by the stories embedded in individual accounts of living under the threat of malaria. 3. Crafting found poetry from within the collective accounts to produce an evocative text that could mediate an emotional response and understanding of the malaria experience. Key outcomes: The research was a response to calls for more participatory research into the detailed experiences of people in Africa facing up to the threat of malaria. It has provided a vehicle for the voices of a group of Nigerian women and health workers to bring attention to the continuing plight of pregnant women and their families with limited access to insecticide-treated bed nets in poor living conditions. They have told how they seek to empower themselves in their own small and particular ways. It has provided insights into their worldview(s) and what others might see from where they stand. As such it has added to their own call expressed during the research to “Keep malaria on the agenda.” The research has used the women’s own testimony to create an oral resource designed https://youtu.be/XelMXLUzTV0 to facilitate education and action among small local groups of women and their families, and for health workers in local rural communities.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a public health challenge because it jeopardizes the health of women and girls. FGM is condemned worldwide but, it is still practiced in the Odi community of Nigeria. The literature on women's lived experiences of FGM in other parts of the world was reviewed, but knowledge is lacking on the lived experiences of women from Odi community in Nigeria. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore their lived experiences, their perspectives on the current legislation for the prevention of FGM, and their perspectives on the cultural myths surrounding the practice. The phenomenological lens was used both as the study design and as the theoretical framework which states that humans know the world through their experiences. This theory guided the study on how the women of Odi community attached meaning to their experiences with FGM. Nine women, 18 and older, who had experienced FGM, were recruited through a snowball technique. Data were collected through semi-structured, in-depth, face-to-face interviews. Colaizzi's method was used for data analysis. Five major themes emerged: (a) FGM is a traditional rite, (b) challenges of FGM, (c) FGM cultural myth instills fear, (d) ignorance of legislation against FGM, and (e) needs government intervention to halt FGM. Participants recommended the enforcement of the legislation against FGM. The findings of this study will be communicated to stakeholders of FGM in the Odi community and in public health journals to serve as a basis for further research. The implication for social change is that maternal and child health will be improved.

Health inequality conflates a huge number of economic, social, and political issues. These issues, together described as social determinants, determine a population's health through influencing health status and life expectancy. The research purpose of this study was to examine how social determinants affected the life expectancy of the women of Edo State, based on secondary data from Nigeria's 2008 demographic and health survey (NDHS). The theories that guided the study were self-efficacy beliefs of the social cognitive theory and physical self-concept of the health belief model. This quantitative cross-sectional study examined the associations between socioeconomic status, nutritional status, literacy/educational attainment, access to household sanitation facilities, and life expectancy. The dependent variables were health status and life expectancy (assessed using parity and age at first delivery). The independent variables were employment, ability to read and write, listening to the radio, type of place of residence, and persons responsible for reproductive health decisions. The analysis was based on data from 950 completed face-to-face interviews in the 2008 NDHS covering 846 households in Edo State selected using a stratified 2-stage cluster sampling design. Regression analyses showed that listening to the radio, persons responsible for decisions on reproductive health issues, employment, and type of place of residence had significant positive effects on parity and age at first delivery. Employment was the best predictor of both dependent variables. Ability to read and write had a negative relationship with the age at first delivery. The social change implications include the attainment of longer lives in Edo State, Nigeria, through effective policies on employment and education.

Traditionally, in Nigeria women play a subservient role in relation to men. While a man can practice polygamy by marrying many wives, women cannot marry more than one husband at a time. Although researchers have documented the effects of polygamy on the spread of HIV/AIDS, little is known about the experiences of polygamy by Nigerian women who stopped practicing polygamy by immigrating to the United States without their husbands. It is important to know the experiences of these women as they pertain specifically to the spread of HIV/AIDS so as to develop a preventive intervention for HIV/AIDS among Nigerian women in polygamy. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perspectives on HIV/AIDS held by 10 Nigerian women who practiced polygamy in Nigeria before immigrating to the United States. Recruitment was done through purposive sampling at a faith-based organization. Guided by the health belief model, interview transcripts from the 10 women were analyzed to reveal recurrent themes that expressed the women's lived experiences in polygamy with their perspectives on HIV/AIDS. Findings revealed that these women had a basic knowledge of the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS by engaging in polygamy but needed to comply with the terms of sexual encounters as dictated by their husbands; therefore, they were at risk for HIV/AIDS. The results of this study can be used to increase awareness among Nigerian women in polygamy and Nigerian health policy makers regarding the transmission of HIV/AIDS and the preventive measures available for HIV/AIDS. Understanding the experiences of women in polygamy may lead to greater understanding of the impact of polygamy on HIV/AIDS and may help to decrease the prevalence of this disease.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is internationally recognized as one of the most prevalent and severe but neglected maternal mental health complications of childbirth. Previous studies have indicated that there is a high burden of disease associated with PPD in both developed and developing countries. However, there remain gaps in the current literature regarding the recognition and management of PPD in remote parts of the developing world. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand the perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs of health professionals towards PPD and examine the factors that either facilitated or hindered its recognition and management in a remote setting in Nigeria. The pen-3 cultural model was the conceptual framework used in this study. The study focused specifically on professionals with regard to the recognition and management of PPD in a rural hospital in Nigeria. Ten semi structured qualitative interviews were conducted with doctors and nurses from a rural hospital in Nigeria. Data were analyzed via phenomenological interpretative analysis. Results from the study revealed that health professionals in a remote setting in Nigeria have a working knowledge of PPD and perceived the condition as a serious public health concern, but were faced with numerous barriers from the institutional, organizational, and community level that hindered their ability to recognize and manage PPD in a timely manner. These results make an important contribution to the existing literature and can enhance social change initiatives through the enhancement of awareness of PPD, and the need for improvement of policies on comprehensive maternal mental health in remote parts of Nigeria.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD
Childbirth is a multifaceted experience that is usually influenced by several factors that could result in an unsatisfactory or satisfactory childbirth experience. These factors include quality of support during labour of which Continuous Labour Support (CLS) is a part; it has been identified as a positive contributor to maternal health. Although CLS has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), lack of a framework has also been an impediment to its implementation in Nigerian hospitals. The purpose of this study is to develop a culturally congruent Continuous Labour Support framework for women in Nigeria. The study adopted a concurrent mixed method design to gain information from various dimensions for the study. The study populations included pregnant women, nurse-midwives and health policy-makers in Ondo state, Nigeria, who were selected through simple random sampling using computer-generated tables for the quantitative strand of the study. For the qualitative strand, participants were selected using a purposeful sampling method. The study was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 focused on the assessment of the perceptions, attitudes and preferences of all groups of participants. Collected quantitative data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics through the use of the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 21. Qualitative data was analysed using Tesch's Method of Content Analysis. Findings the study shows that the pregnant women had positive perceptions and attitudes towards CLS from a familiar, close and trusted person, in public health facilities. Findings from the midwives revealed that pregnant women's family members are not usually involved in women's care during labour in public health facilities. However, nurse-midwives expressed satisfaction with the few occasional/discretional occasions on which the practice had been implemented, and the majority showed positive perceptions and attitudes to the introduction of CLS from a person of the woman's choice, in public health facilities. Findings from interviews with the policy-makers affirmed family support system during labour as a cultural expectation and a traditional practice at home but alien to the hospital. The policy-makers also expressed a positive standpoint on the introduction of CLS by persons of the woman’s choice from her social network, in the public hospital. Phase 2 of the study involved the development of the culturally congruent Continuous Labour Support framework for women in south-west Nigeria. The framework was developed using the Model Development Approach by Walker and Avant (2005, 2011). Findings from processes with all stakeholders in Phase 1 of the study were synthesised with literature review, using concept identification and classification. The concepts in this study were identified, described and developed through synthesis of data from questionnaire, the focus group and individual interviews of all stakeholders. Concept classification, description and validation was achieved through the six vantage points of surveying activity listed by Dickoff et al, (1968) in consultation the selected expert reviewers in maternal and child care. The developed framework was followed by a detailed description, and validation of the framework was done through consensus agreement with four experts.