Many women entrepreneurs in developing countries most especially Nigeria are facing disproportionate obstacles due to lack of mobility, capacity and technical skills, with some experiencing several discrimination, hardship and exclusion. This paper examines women empowerment as a panacea for economic development and poverty reduction in Nigeria. The study tests the hypothesis that women empowerment has effect on poverty reduction. Data used for this study were sourced from both secondary and primary sources of data. The data were analyzed using frequency tables, percentages, mean and z-test. The study was conducted using some selected women entrepreneurs registered with National Association of Small Scale Industries (NASSI) in Enugu State, Nigeria. The study found out that women need education, skills, access to assets/credit, social protection in order to fully develop their productive assets and tackle poverty. The researcher recommended that for women, their families and society to reap the benefits of economic development and poverty reduction; investments in and empowerment of women both economic and socially are inevitable.