Women empowerment is all encompassing, so this work will want to narrow it to the subject of women development and the impact of skill acquisition and economic empowerment. This topic has generated so much controversy in Nigeria, and the debate centers on appropriate type of development and whether the would help stimulate women toward their development. There is much ambivalence within every society as to the proper place of women in all the vital spheres of life. However, there seems to be a consensus that the future of women development is greatly enhanced with these two variables mentioned above. This study therefore examines the role of skill acquisition and economic empowerment on women development and how women have contributed in the development of their community. This will be done by defining each of the concepts involved, showing their specific relation and reaching a conclusion on the topic.

CHAPTER ONE
 

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

The discriminatory practice in education which favored the male over the female was very unprogressive yet the government could not do anything to either stop or reverse it (Kema, 2003). The colonial government laid a very bad foundation for education generally and women‟s education in particular. It is on record that in Nigeria, the colonial government initially did not show any interest in educational development at all. The early efforts were made by the Christian missionaries who came to evangelize to the people.

In 1986, the federal ministry of education in Nigeria created a special unit, women‟s education unit. This showed that the government was beginning to respond to the urgent need for the development of women. This special right accorded to women in education suggests that apart from women benefitting from general education, there will be a measure of encouragement to them towards specialization in sciences, engineering, and technology. Another area were the federal government of Nigeria intensified effort to develop women‟s education was in the establishment of mass literacy commission. The effort of government has been complimented by the non-governmental.