Assessing the Role of Women in Fisheries Value Chains and Policy Representation in Rivers State

This study assessed the roles played by women across fisheries value chains in Rivers State, South South Nigeria, and evaluated the extent of their representation in formal fisheries policy and governance structures. Women are indispensable actors in Nigerian fisheries, yet their contributions remain undervalued and their voices underrepresented in decision-making processes that shape fisheries policy and resource management. The study employed a mixed-methods design combining a structured survey of 175 women engaged in fisheries-related activities, analysis of membership data from state-level fisheries governance bodies, and qualitative interviews with 20 key informants in fisheries institutions and women's organisations. Value chain participation mapping, policy representation scoring, and thematic analysis of interview data were conducted. Results confirmed that women's participation was concentrated in processing, smoking, and trading, with minimal representation in production and resource management roles. Women constituted only 11 percent of membership in formal fisheries management committees at the state and local government levels. Qualitative data revealed structural barriers including discriminatory cultural norms, lack of formal recognition of women's fisheries roles in policy documents, and exclusion from fisheries cooperative registration in some communities due to land and vessel ownership requirements. Women who had accessed targeted support from development projects showed higher rates of cooperative membership and income diversification. The study recommends the formalisation of gender equity targets in fisheries governance, development of women-specific fisheries credit instruments, and documentation of women's contributions in national fisheries statistics in Rivers State. Keywords: women in fisheries, value chain, gender equity, policy representation, Rivers State