ASSESSING COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES FOR WOMEN’S POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT IN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF VREI AND WIPF
Keywords:
Strategic Communication, Framing Theory, Women’s Political Participation, Patriarchy, Political EmpowermentAbstract
Achieving women’s empowerment is a key target of Sustainable Development Goal 5, particularly in relation to women’s political participation. Despite increased global and national attention, progress in women’s representation in elective political positions in Nigeria remains limited. This persistent gap has been largely attributed to entrenched patriarchal structures that privilege men and are reinforced through socio-cultural norms. This study examined how strategic communication can contribute to addressing this challenge by analysing the communication strategies of two small-sized organisations; Value Rebirth Empowerment Initiative (Delta State) and Women in Politics Forum (Abuja) in promoting women’s political empowerment between 2020 and 2025. The study is grounded in Framing Theory, which explains how communication influences perception and behaviour through the selection and emphasis of particular aspects of reality in message construction. A mixed-methods research design was adopted, combining content analysis of organisational communication materials with survey and interview data drawn from beneficiaries and individuals with expert knowledge on women’s political participation. The study examined how empowerment messages were framed and how such framing influenced awareness, attitudes, and political engagement outcomes. Findings indicate that strategic communication and effective message framing contributed to increased political awareness and improved confidence among women, suggesting positive cognitive and attitudinal effects. However, the translation of these outcomes into formal political participation remained limited, indicating that behavioural change is constrained by structural and institutional barriers, as well as limitations in communication capacity and programme sustainability. The study concludes that while framing strategies are effective in shaping political consciousness, their impact on actual political participation depends on broader socio-political conditions and sustained communication efforts.
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