====== Nigeria ======

**Region:** Western Africa  
**Regional Economic Communities (REC):** ECOWAS · CEN-SAD  

→ [[https://iiag.online/locations/ng.html|View IIAG Country Statistics]]

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^ Indicator ^ Data ^
| **Governance (IIAG)** | Overall Governance score: 54.6 / 100 · Rank: 19th / 54 · [[https://iiag.online/locations/ng.html|View IIAG Country Statistics]] |

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===== PART 1 – HIGH-LEVEL COUNTRY MAPPING =====

==== Institutions and Stakeholder Database ====
(To be linked)

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==== REC Membership ====

  * ECOWAS  
  * CEN-SAD  

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==== Population size and size of the informal economy ====

Nigeria has one of the largest informal economies in Africa, accounting for **over 60% of employment**.

Informal work spans:

  * Street vending  
  * Transport services  
  * Domestic work  
  * Agriculture  
  * Artisanal mining  

The informal economy plays a central role in livelihoods but remains largely **outside formal labour regulation and social protection systems**.

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==== Nature of the legal system and ILO status ====

Nigeria operates a **federal legal system** combining statutory law, customary law, and Islamic law in certain regions.

Nigeria has been a member of the **International Labour Organization (ILO) since 1960** and participates in the **Decent Work Agenda**, including Decent Work Country Programme initiatives.

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==== Workers’ rights in human rights system, national labour law / social protection and scope of protection ====

Workers’ rights are governed by:

  * **Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999)**  
  * **Labour Act (Cap L1, LFN 2004)**  

Key protections include:

  * Protection of workers’ welfare (Section 14(2)(b))  
  * Freedom of movement (Section 41)  
  * General labour standards for employment relationships  

However:

  * Labour protections primarily apply to the **formal sector**  
  * Informal workers have **limited effective protection**  
  * Social protection coverage remains fragmented  

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==== Existing laws, policy and regulatory initiatives for the protection of workers in the informal economy ====

  * **Pension Reform Act (2014)**  
  * **National Social Protection Policy (2017)**  
  * **National Tax Policy (2017)**  

These frameworks aim to extend coverage but remain **largely contributory and limited in reach**.

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===== PART 2 – SECTOR SPECIFIC REGULATION =====

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==== Domestic Work Sector ====

**Labour Act (Cap L1, LFN 2004)**  

  * Applies to employment relationships  
  * Limited explicit recognition of domestic workers  

Domestic workers are often treated as informal workers with limited enforcement of labour protections.

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==== Street Vendor ====

Street vending is regulated primarily at the **state level**.

**Constitution of Nigeria (1999)**  

  * Section 4 – legislative competence shared between federal and state levels  

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**Lagos State Street Trading and Illegal Market Prohibition Law (2003)**  

  * Prohibits street trading and illegal markets  
  * Provides penalties including fines and imprisonment  
  * Strictly enforced since 2016  

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**NESREA Act**

  * Regulates environmental standards affecting public trading spaces  

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==== Waste Reclaiming ====

Waste reclaiming is not governed by a dedicated legal framework.

  * Regulated indirectly through environmental laws  
  * Workers operate largely in the informal economy  

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==== Home working ====

**Labour Act (2004)**  
**National Industrial Court Act (2006)**  
**Pension Reform Act (2014)**  

  * Provide general labour and dispute resolution frameworks  
  * No specific legal recognition of home-based work  

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==== Gig Work and the Platform Economy ====

**Labour Act (2004)**  
**Pension Reform Act (2014)**  
**National Tax Policy (2017)**  

  * Recognises self-employed workers  
  * No clear classification of platform workers  

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==== Farm Work ====

**Labour Act (2004)**  
**Land Use Act (1978)**  
**NALDA Act**  
**National Agricultural Seeds Act (2019)**  
**National Social Protection Policy (2017)**  

  * Regulates agricultural labour and land access  
  * Supports agricultural development  

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==== The Mining Sector and Artisanal Mining ====

**Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act (2007)**  

  * Requires formation of mining cooperatives  
  * Provides licensing for artisanal miners  
  * Offers technical and capacity-building support  

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**Mining Regulations (2011)**  

  * Establish health and safety standards  
  * Encourage formalisation of small-scale mining  

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**Environmental Mining Regulations (2009)**  

  * Provide environmental and safety protections  

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==== Taxi and Transport Sector (Gig-work/platform economy overlap) ====

**Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law (2018)**  

  * Regulates informal transport operators  

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**Road Traffic Act (1990)**  

  * Governs road use and safety  

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==== Cross-Border Informal Trade ====

**National frameworks:**

  * Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA)  
  * Export (Incentives and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act  
  * Central Bank Foreign Exchange Regulations  
  * Nigerian Immigration Act (2015)  
  * Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Act  
  * NAFDAC Act  

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**Regional frameworks:**

  * ECOWAS Free Movement Protocol  
  * ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS)  
  * African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)  

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===== Sources / Links =====

  * IIAG – Nigeria: https://iiag.online/locations/ng.html  
  * Constitution of Nigeria (1999)  
  * Labour Act (Cap L1, LFN 2004)  
  * Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act (2007)  
  * National Social Protection Policy (2017)  
  * ECOWAS Frameworks  
  * AfCFTA Agreement