The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has launched a campaign to encourage women working in the informal sector in Enugu State to enroll in the Personal Pension Plan (PPP).
Speaking during the launch on Wednesday, as part of activities for the 2026 celebration of International Women’s Day, Commissioner, Inspectorate (South East) of PENCOM, Samuel Uwandu, said that the initiative is designed to help women, who are largely excluded from formal retirement savings system to secure financial stability in old age through small but consistent savings.
He noted that about 96 percent of employed women in Nigeria operate in the informal sector, adding that without structured pension savings, many of them face financial vulnerability in old age and often depend on family support or informal arrangements for survival.
“The IWD PPP Inclusion Campaign is therefore designed to address this coverage gap by creating awareness and encouraging women to begin saving for retirement through a flexible and accessible pension platform,” he said.
To encourage participation during the campaign period, he said that PenComhas introduced a one-time matching contribution incentive supported by development partners and donors.
“Under the incentive, every eligible woman who contributes to her PPP account between March 9 and March 13 will receive an equal matching contribution, up to a maximum of N20,000,” he explained, adding that Nigeria’s pension industry currently manages more than N28 trillion in pension assets under strict regulatory oversight.
He noted that withdrawals from the contingent portion become available after three months of participation while retirement benefits can be accessed from the age of 50 either as a lump sum payment or through periodic pension withdrawals.
Gideon Arinze
