Post-Literacy Education and Sustainable Livelihoods Among Women in Jigawa State

This study investigated the contribution of post-literacy education programmes to sustainable livelihood development among women in Jigawa State, North West Nigeria. Post-literacy programmes, designed to consolidate and extend the gains of initial literacy acquisition through practically oriented continuing education, are theoretically important for translating literacy competencies into durable livelihood improvements, yet their outcomes for women in Jigawa's rural economy have not been systematically evaluated. The study adopted a mixed methods evaluation design involving 140 women who had completed both basic literacy and post-literacy programmes, compared with 140 matched basic literacy-only completers. The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework guided outcome measurement, encompassing human, social, physical, financial, and natural capital dimensions. Questionnaire-based livelihood asset assessments and in-depth interviews with 30 purposively selected women formed the data collection approach. Analysis of variance revealed that post-literacy programme completers demonstrated significantly stronger improvements across four of five livelihood capital dimensions compared to basic literacy-only completers, with financial capital gains being most pronounced. Qualitative findings identified improved numeracy, business planning skills, and access to women's cooperative savings groups as the specific post-literacy programme mechanisms driving financial capital improvements. Post-literacy graduates also showed stronger access to government social protection programmes due to improved literacy application skills. Recommendations include expanding post-literacy programme coverage across Jigawa State, designing programme content around the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, establishing linkages between post-literacy graduation and women's cooperative membership, and advocating for dedicated federal post-literacy funding streams. Keywords: post-literacy education, sustainable livelihoods, women, Jigawa State, livelihood capital.