Insecurity and Women's Livelihoods in Borno State, Nigeria: A Socioeconomic Analysis of Conflict Impacts

This research investigates the socioeconomic consequences of ongoing insecurity on women's livelihoods in Borno State, Nigeria—one of the regions hit hardest by the Boko Haram insurgency. Utilising a mixed-methods approach that integrates survey data, focus group discussions (FGDs), and key informant interviews (KIIs), this article provides a comprehensive examination of how violent conflict has hindered economic activities, destroyed assets, and exacerbated gender disparities. The results indicate that more than 70% of female respondents faced loss of primary income sources, 62.2% experienced loss of farmland, and 49.8% lost livestock. Furthermore, access to vocational training, credit, land, and institutional assistance remains notably restricted. Many women have turned to precarious survival strategies, such as engaging in survival sex and petty trading under exploitative circumstances. The study concludes that achieving sustainable peace and recovery must involve gender-sensitive livelihood interventions, institutional reforms, and community-driven economic empowerment programs focused on displaced and conflict-affected women.