Finding Employment
The Hardest Challenge the States Share
Why it matters. Employment difficulty is the lowest-scoring parameter in the index — universally felt, with no state achieving a score above 3.20. The report examines which states are narrowing the gap and how.
National best (Sokoto)
3.11
2nd: Abia
Lowest: Borno
1.75
3rd: Kano
National median
2.42
Is better
States scored
31
States unscored
Leading States
Trailing States
The story in the numbers
Finding employment is the hardest challenge the states share — but the gap between the best and worst is the widest in the index. The interventions separating Sokoto from Borno are documented in the full report.
Inside the full report
Five parts. The whole federation.
The National Ranking
The complete ranking of every state on finding employment, with citizen scores and sample sizes.
Three-Year Trends
How the picture moved across 2024–2026, and the zones improving fastest — and slipping.
The Regional Picture
Where the parameter is strongest and weakest by geopolitical zone, and what explains the pattern.
The Leaders' Playbook
The state initiatives behind the strongest results — verifiable, specific, and adaptable.
What to Do Next
What the evidence means for governments, partners and investors — anchored in global best practice.
A taste of the findings
"Sokoto's relative strength reflects a livestock value-chain programme that created 8,000 formal jobs in 24 months — an outlier in the North West."
The report names the programme, the sponsors, and the replication conditions.
Where the work remains
Post-conflict states face a structural employment deficit that no current programme adequately addresses.
The report examines the reconstruction economy as a potential employment engine — and which investors are positioned to capture it.
Read the full parameter report