This study examined the relationship between employee empowerment approaches and job performance in microfinance banks within Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State, Nigeria. The study specifically assessed how empowerment dimensions—employee input acknowledgment, mutual decision-making, joint resolution implementation, and sense of belonging climate—influence the key measures of job performance, including employee satisfaction, productivity, task performance, and contextual performance. The research was anchored on three major theories: Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985), which emphasizes autonomy and intrinsic motivation; Social Exchange Theory (Blau, 1964), which underscores reciprocal relationships between employer and employee; and Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory (1959), which identifies empowerment-related factors such as responsibility and recognition as motivators of job satisfaction and performance. A quantitative research design was adopted, and data were collected through structured questionnaires administered to employees of selected microfinance banks in Port Harcourt. The study population was approximately 1,000 employees, from which a sample size of 315 respondents was determined using the Taro Yamane formula. Data analysis was conducted using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to evaluate the hypothesized relationships. The findings revealed that employee empowerment had a strong positive and statistically significant effect on all dimensions of job performance: employee satisfaction, employee productivity task performance and contextual performance The R² values indicated that empowerment explained a substantial proportion of the variance in performance outcomes. These results confirm that when employees are empowered through participatory management and recognition, they become more motivated, efficient, and committed to organizational success. The study concluded that employee empowerment is a critical driver of job performance in microfinance institutions. It enhances satisfaction, promotes innovation, strengthens teamwork, and encourages extra-role behavior among employees. Consequently, microfinance bank managers are encouraged to institutionalize empowerment practices through participative leadership, effective communication, and recognition systems. The study contributes theoretically by validating empowerment frameworks within the Nigerian financial sector, practically by offering strategic insights for improving workforce productivity, and empirically by providing evidence-based relationships between empowerment and performance in microfinance banks. It recommends that managers adopt empowerment-oriented policies as a sustainable strategy for improving efficiency, job satisfaction, and competitiveness in the microfinance banking industry in Port Harcourt Metropolis.

 Keywords: Employee Empowerment, Job Performance, Microfinance Banks