CRG Seminar: Business is not for the disabled - exploring drivers and barriers to entrepreneurship for women with disabilities

Approximately 1.3 billion individuals, constituting roughly 16% of the global population, grapple with significant disabilities, highlighting a sizeable and often overlooked demography (WHO, 2023). In the case of Nigeria, out of an estimated population of 234.5 million (United Nations - World Population Prospects, 2025), an estimated 29 million people live with disabilities, representing a significant portion of the population (World Bank, 2020). Despite growing global attention to the economic empowerment of marginalized groups, the intersection of disability and gender remains underexplored, particularly in the context of entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship has long been recognized as a powerful tool for economic empowerment and self-sufficiency, particularly for marginalized groups. For physically challenged women in Nigeria, business ownership offers not only financial independence but also a means of asserting their agency in a society that often overlooks their potential. However, while entrepreneurship serves as a viable pathway for economic inclusion, these women face a complex interplay of structural, societal, and financial barriers that limit their success.

This study explores the drivers and barriers shaping the entrepreneurial experiences of women with disabilities in Nigeria. The research revealed that many women with disabilities turn to entrepreneurship not just as a means of survival but as a pathway to dignity, self-sufficiency, and social inclusion. They leverage innovative strategies such as digital business models, informal support networks, and skill-based enterprises to navigate an environment that remains largely inaccessible. Notwithstanding, the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem still presents systemic obstacles, including lack of commitment to policy support, structural barriers, financial exclusion, mobility constraints, and deep-rooted cultural biases. For meaningful economic inclusion to be achieved, policymakers, financial institutions, and society at large must work collaboratively to remove these barriers and create a more equitable entrepreneurial landscape. Without these efforts, women with disabilities will continue to face economic marginalization, limiting not only their individual potentials but also the broader socio-economic development of Nigeria.

This seminar is organised by the CRG Governance, entrepreneurship and inclusive development. 

Image source: ZBC News, "Innovative Marketplace Model Supports Local Communities"