ADVANCING GENDER-INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN NIGERIA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF BARRIERS, STRATEGIES, AND POLICY GAPS

The growth of entrepreneurship in Nigeria persists despite on-going socio-cultural, institutional, and economic disparities that negatively impact women. Although there have been several initiatives aimed at supporting women entrepreneurs, institutional barriers still hinder their full integration into business environments, particularly in rural and conflict-affected areas. This study employs a systematic literature review informed by feminist institutionalism and Intersectionality theory. Employing PRISMA 2020 guidelines to aggregate and critically synthesize 46 peer-reviewed and grey literature sources published from 2015 to 2025. The findings show that women still face barriers to starting their own businesses, such as gender-biased financial systems, patrilineal inheritance practices, limited gender-sensitive training, weak mentorship networks, and poor digital infrastructure. the study concludes that the National Women Empowerment Fund (NAWEF), the Women Enterprise Fund (WEF), microcredit schemes, and enterprise incubation centres have all helped women become more visible and earn more money. The study recommended that property right reforms, investment, capacity building, and digital connectivity for both males and females would immensely increase women's contributions to employment creation, family income growth, and community development in general. The study integrates the feminist and intersectional approaches in an innovative manner to bring to the fore the intersectional nature of structural gender inequality, institutional voids, and socio-cultural barriers for sustainable entrepreneurship. This helps shed new light on why the current efforts at empowerment have not registered the desired impacts.