The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) has hailed Cross River State as a continental model in advancing the care economy agenda, describing it as a “trailblazer” in West and Central Africa for its commitment to formalizing and valuing unpaid care work NEGROIDHAVEN can report.
Speaking during the inauguration of the Cross River State Care Technical Working Group (TWG) in Calabar on Monday, the UN Women Team Lead, Aisha Bello, lauded the state’s recent inclusion in the Global Alliance for Care and the bold steps taken to embed care work into public policy, economic planning, and gender development frameworks.
According to Bello, the decision of Cross River to institutionalize care work through a state policy framework demonstrates visionary leadership and sets a precedent for other subnational governments in Nigeria and across Africa.
“Cross River State has already been showcased as a model at international platforms,” Bello said.
“During a regional forum held in Senegal two months ago, the state was voted first for joining the Global Alliance for Care and for initiating the process toward developing a comprehensive care policy. This is a milestone achievement that other African states can emulate.”
She highlighted findings from the Time Use Survey recently conducted in the state, which revealed that women in Cross River spend over four hours more daily than men on unpaid care work — a burden that limits their economic participation and reinforces gender inequality.
Bello stressed that formalizing the care economy and investing in care infrastructure such as childcare facilities, elderly care services, and rural electrification could raise the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by up to 4.6 percent.
“The care economy is not charity — it is smart economics,” she noted. “If Nigeria invests one dollar in quality childcare, it could generate three dollars in economic returns. Cross River has understood this link between care and productivity.”
The UN Women representative also urged the state to integrate care priorities into its forthcoming 2026–2029 State Development Plan and to leverage the existing structures of the National Senior Citizens Centre to expand child and disability care initiatives.
She emphasized that dignifying care work through fair wages, social protection, and recognition could reverse the exodus of skilled care workers from Nigeria.
In her remarks, Her Excellency, Dr. (Mrs.) Eyoanwan Otu, wife of the Governor of Cross River State, reaffirmed her administration’s commitment to placing care at the heart of development planning.
“This initiative reflects our belief that care is not just service — it is dignity, empathy, and shared humanity,” she said.
“Through partnership with UN Women, we are building systems that recognize, reduce, and redistribute care responsibilities so that both men and women can contribute equally to our state’s progress.”
Mrs. Otu, who also heads the Humanity Without Borders Empowerment Initiative (HWB), noted that the care policy framework would open new livelihood opportunities for women and youth, while supporting families and persons with disabilities.
The Coordinator of the Cross River CARES project and Special Assistant to the Governor on Gender Mainstreaming, Utibe-Abasi Orok Bassey-Duke, described the inauguration as a culmination of sustained advocacy since 2023.
She said the TWG’s task is to develop a policy that mainstreams care into the state’s socio-economic agenda, ensuring that caregivers are recognized as essential contributors to development.
The newly inaugurated Care Technical Working Group comprises representatives from the State Planning Commission, Ministries of Women Affairs, Health, Education, and Local Government Affairs, as well as the Department of Budget Monitoring and Evaluation, State Bureau of Statistics, civil society groups, and care entrepreneurs.
As Nigeria faces mounting demographic and social pressures, experts say Cross River’s leadership could signal a new era of gender-responsive economic planning — one that not only uplifts women but strengthens the state’s entire development architecture.
“When we value care,” Mrs. Otu concluded, “we build a more equitable, compassionate, and prosperous Cross River State.”
