Introduction
p. 1-4
Texte intégral
Background
1The Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) was introduced in Nigeria in 1986. One of its principal objectives was to restructure and diversify the production base of the economy in order to reduce national dependence on the oil sector and imports. To achieve this objective, measures to stimulate domestic production and broaden the supply base of the economy were adopted. During the implementation of SAP, it was realized that the programme inflicted varying degrees of hardship on different groups of the population. Consequently, ameliorative measures were designed to lessen the burden on vulnerable groups. Women constitute an important vulnerable group that requires relief during an adjustment process. The Better Life Programme was designed to give relief to women, especially those in the rural areas, during the economic restructuring process in Nigeria.
2The role of women, especially in the rural areas, was for a long time regarded as secondary in the socio-economic development of Nigeria. Women, therefore, tended to be ignored. There is overwhelming evidence, however, regarding the immense contributions of women to development in many developing countries. For example, it has been shown that women, in addition to carrying out their domestic chores which include food production, firewood collection and the provision of household water, contribute significantly to the work force in the agriculture and informal sectors. Women are estimated to be responsible for more than half the food produced in the developing world, and the proportion is even higher in Africa. They constitute one-fourth of developing countries’ industrial labour force but still carry the main burden of childcare and household chores. If the economic contribution of rural women is properly evaluated it would be seen that they provide about half the family income. This contribution has not been fully appreciated hitherto.
3Given the opportunity, women could contribute more to their own wellbeing especially if various constraints, such as limited access to education, health care and information, technology, credit and markets, were removed. The challenge, therefore, is how to incorporate women more effectively into formal development activities as recommended during the UN Decade for Women (1975- 1985).
4Many organizations have been set up in Nigeria to enhance women’s social image, give them more self-confidence and improve their general welfare. These include the various national women’s organizations, such as Women in Nigeria, Women in Development and the National Council of Women Societies. These organizations appear to have achieved little. In several cases, instead of cooperating with each other, the groups regarded each other as rivals and engaged in unnecessary in-fighting. As a result, these organizations failed to enhance the quality of life of its members, especially those in the rural areas. Their objective of enhancing the general social and political standing of women does not seem to have been achieved either.
Definition of the Study
5This study assesses the role of the Better Life Programme and whether it has made an impact on the lives of the people in the rural areas. Studies have shown that women contribute significantly to economic development, especially in the rural areas where, based on world-wide evidence, it can be assumed that women outnumber men. If the activities of the Better Life Programme were effective, then it would be evidenced by an increase in women’s contribution in the rural areas. The study of the Better Life Programme contributes to an understanding of the role of women in development, which is attracting greater attention world wide. The involvement of rural women in the Programme is studied in this work.
6This research is important for several reasons. First, the Better Life Programme was in operation long enough to have made some measurable impact on the lives of rural women. The study, therefore, examines the impact of the programme on rural women. Second, this analysis would give an indication of how justified it was for the new administration to jettison the programme in 1994. Thirdly, the allegation that the Better Life Programme focused more on urban and highly educated women, rather than on rural women as its initial policy statement proclaimed, requires examination.
Research Objectives
7The broad objective of this study is to assess the impact of the activities of rural women on socio-economic development in Nigeria during the initial period of the World Bank/IMF economic adjustment programme. The Better Life Programme is employed as the subject of the analysis. The specific objectives of the study are:
to analyse the contributions of the Better Life Programme through its various projects in agriculture, agro-industries, crafts, etc.
to examine the sustainability of the programme beyond the support phase of government and other agencies
to identify the critical constraints faced by the programme
to suggest ways in which the implementation of similar programmes could be improved to generate better results
Scope of the Study
8This study was designed to cover three local governments, Asa and Moro in Kwara State and Odo-Otin in Osun State. The choice was predicated on the fact that these local governments are rural based. Therefore, any Better Life Programme projects in these local governments can be assumed to have been located in these areas for the benefit of rural women. Management of the programme was placed under the Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructures (DFRRI), and an assistant director was charged with overseeing its operation. The Kwara DFRRI was ranked second in performance out of all the twenty-one Nigerian states. Therefore, it could be assumed that the Better Life Programme based within the high performance DFRRI in the state would record great achievements. By contrast, neither DFRRI nor the Better Life Programme in Osun State had such high ranking. Thus, the same assumptions could not be made for them. In short, there were reasons to believe that an analysis based on samples from the two states was likely to be realistic, taking into consideration the high and low performance levels estimated according to national standards.
9Questionnaires were administered during the dry season in April and May 1995. This was to ensure accessibility, since most Better Life Programme projects were located in remote areas, which can be inaccessible during the rainy season. A large proportion of the respondents were illiterate and could not complete the questionnaires themselves. The enumerators, therefore, who were drawn mainly from the various project areas, translated the questions into the respondents’ local dialects.
Organization of the Study
10The study is organized into six main sections. Section two covers the objectives, the core programmes, the organizational structure and the financing of the programme. In section three, the methodology and analytical framework of the analysis are presented, while the fourth section reviews existing, relevant literature on the role of women in development, the constraints they face and women as members of vulnerable groups during a period of economic restructuring, etc. Section five presents an analysis of the data generated from various sources and draws inferences from the analysis. The conclusions and recommendations are presented in the sixth and final section.
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