Why Women Do Not Benefit from Nigeria: An Assessment of Project Implementation in a Federal Ministry

Project planning in Africa has been described as weak due to bad leadership, inability of government to achieve budget target and poor management. Despite the enormous amount of naira spent every year on numerous projects, several pitfalls have been experienced especially in the public sector. The Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development is not left out as it plans and implements projects for which mostly women and children are beneficiaries. This study therefore examined factors affecting project planning and implementation of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in Ogun State. Through the administration of structured questionnaire to beneficiaries, interviews with directors and coordinators of projects in the Ministry, and direct observation, findings revealed that certain factors such as non-domestication of policy instruments, inadequate awareness, manpower, and a challenging environment militate against effective planning and implementation. The study concluded that these factors amongst others have affected the programmes of the Ministry and limited its impact. The study recommended among others that the leadership of the Ministry must address the afore-mentioned issues through innovative strategising and public relations tools especially at the grass ischolar_main level.