Women Leadership in Local Government and Gender-Responsive Development: Evidence from North Central Nigeria

This study empirically examines whether female local government council leadership correlates with more gender-responsive development planning and spending in North Central Nigeria, covering Kwara, Niger, and Kogi States. Despite international evidence suggesting that women in political leadership tend to prioritize social sector investments that benefit women and children, limited empirical analysis has been conducted at the local government level in Nigeria, where female representation in councils remains systemically low due to cultural, structural, and financial barriers. Grounded in the Feminist Political Theory and the Gender and Development Framework, this study employs a quasi-experimental design comparing service delivery outcomes in local government areas with female council leadership against those with exclusively male leadership over the period 2019 to 2024. Primary data is gathered from 260 respondents including female and male councillors, local government department heads, women group leaders, and community service beneficiaries. Secondary data includes State Independent Electoral Commission records, local government budget documents, and National Bureau of Statistics social sector indicators. Regression discontinuity design and difference-in-differences estimation are applied. The study fills a critical empirical gap in sub-national gender and governance research in North Central Nigeria. Findings are expected to demonstrate a positive association between female council leadership and allocations to maternal health, girls' education, and social welfare programs. Keywords: Women leadership, local government, gender-responsive development, North Central Nigeria, political representation.