Exploring Parental Leave in Nigeria
Maternity leave in Nigeria presents both challenges and opportunities for working mothers. According to various reports, the current landscape faces significant issues, including inadequate leave duration and coverage, limited applicability, low wage replacement levels, rigid leave timing, and gaps in implementation and enforcement.
One of the main issues is the duration and coverage of maternity leave. The national Labour Act mandates a minimum of 12 weeks of maternity leave, with only half of the pay for employees in the private and informal sectors. This duration is shorter than the World Health Organization's (WHO) minimum recommendation of six months leave with full pay. The revised federal public service policy offers slightly more, with 112 working days (just under five months), but requires one month to be taken before childbirth, reducing postnatal leave to four months. Many states and sectors fall short of these standards, with some like Katsina extending leave only to four months and 10 days.
Another challenge is the limited applicability and exclusion of maternity protections. The public service policy applies only to federal civil servants, leaving private, informal, and other sectors with insufficient maternity benefits. Many women in informal employment, who constitute a large workforce segment, lack maternity benefits.
The Labour Act's 50% wage payment during leave can also be economically challenging for mothers and families, potentially discouraging full compliance or maternal care during leave. Furthermore, mandatory pre-birth leave reduces flexibility for mothers to allocate more time postnatally, which is most critical for newborn care and maternal recovery.
Despite these challenges, there are opportunities for improvement. Ongoing reforms, state initiatives, and civil society advocacy provide promising avenues to enhance policy scope and implementation for better maternal and child health outcomes.
Recent reforms such as the 2021 Revised Public Service Rules and new labor laws effective from September 2025 increase maternity leave entitlements and recognize flexible work models. Some states like Katsina have extended maternity leave to four months and ten days, showing regional commitments and potential models for broader adoption.
Advocacy groups like CS-SUNN are actively lobbying for six months of maternity leave to support exclusive breastfeeding and child nutrition, which could push policy toward better health and gender equity outcomes. The new labor regulations acknowledge remote, part-time, and flexible work, offering mothers more options to balance childcare and employment, which could enhance maternity leave effectiveness and return-to-work transition.
Improved data and compliance mechanisms are also crucial. Requirements for employer reporting and the adoption of statutory regulations by late 2025, as per the New Labor Law, can strengthen monitoring and enforcement of maternity leave policies.
In conclusion, the maternity leave landscape in Nigeria faces significant challenges related to limited leave duration, low wage replacement, exclusion of many workers, and enforcement weaknesses. However, ongoing reforms, state initiatives, and civil society advocacy provide promising avenues to enhance policy scope and implementation for better maternal and child health outcomes.
- Working mothers in Nigeria encounter difficulties during maternity leave, particularly concerning the duration and coverage, which does not meet the World Health Organization's recommendations.
- The national Labour Act mandates a minimum of 12 weeks of maternity leave, but with only half pay for employees in the private and informal sectors, and states like Katsina extend leave to only four months and ten days.
- Maternal and child health outcomes could improve with better implementation of maternity protections, such as six months of maternity leave and exclusive breastfeeding support.
- Advocacy groups are fighting for improved maternity benefits to promote healthier mothers, kids, and gender equity, while recent reforms and labor laws increase maternity leave entitlements and recognize flexible work models.
- To ensure better enforcement and compliance, new labor regulations require employer reporting and the adoption of statutory regulations by late 2025.
- Balancing childcare and employment becomes easier with new labor rules that recognize remote, part-time, and flexible work, making maternity leave more effective and smoothing the return-to-work transition.
- Supporting mothers during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and postnatal care is essential for family, health, and overall wellness, especially for motherhood and children's education and behavioral development.
- Improved health-and-wellness outcomes for mothers and babies can be achieved through increased funding, expanded access to care, and dedicated support for women's health during pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and postnatal care.
