Social Innovation and Gender Inclusion Among Retail Trading Enterprises in Lagos

Abstract

Across African urban economies, retail trading provides livelihoods for millions, particularly women, yet their overwhelming presence in market spaces does not translate into equitable empowerment or institutional recognition. In Lagos, women remain constrained by exclusion from decision-making, limited access to credit and systemic neglect, raising urgent questions about the mechanisms that can foster genuine inclusion. This study aimed to investigate how dimensions of social innovation co-creation, social need orientation, novelty, capacity building, and systemic change influence gender inclusion among retail trading enterprises in Lagos. Grounded in Institutional theory, the study employed a cross-sectional survey of 430 traders selected through a multi-stage sampling technique, using structured questionnaires validated through factor analysis and reliability checks. Multiple regression analysis at the 0.05 significance level revealed that only co-creation (β = 0.27, p < 0.001), capacity building (β = 0.22, p = 0.001), and systemic change (β = 0.19, p = 0.004) significantly influenced gender inclusion, while novelty and social need orientation were non-significant. The findings indicate that inclusion is primarily driven by participatory governance, skills enhancement, and institutional reforms rather than token social interventions or isolated innovations. The study concludes that women’s empowerment in Lagos retail trading requires institutional re-engineering rather than superficial responses, and recommends deliberate policy efforts to embed women in governance structures, strengthen capacity-building programs and sustain systemic reforms.