The National Project Coordinator of the Nigeria for Women Programme (NFWP), Dr. Hadiza Maina, says the programme is now set for a nationwide scale-up to reach about four million women.
Maina said this on the sidelines of the National Council on Women Affairs and Child Development in Benin City, Edo State, after a programme impact Scorecard presentation.
She disclosed that the pilot phase (2019–2024), which ran in six states: Niger, Kebbi, Taraba, Cross River, Abia, and Ogun – originally targeting 300,000 women – surpassed its pilot target by 150,000, empowering over 450,000 women.
“They had a target of empowering 300,000 women. But they exceeded this target by 150,000 women,” she said.
Maina said that the initiative is focused on “empowering women in a sustainable manner” through Women Affinity Groups (WAGs), which serve as the central platform for savings, lending, and capacity building.
According to her, each group includes between 15 and 25 women aged 18 and above.
“Women self-select themselves based on certain criteria within the community. It’s not imposed, they self-select themselves and form a cooperative,” she said.
She stated that WAGs are the “nerve centre of Nigeria for Women Programme scale-up projects providing training in financial inclusion, financial literacy, health, nutrition, reproductive health services, water sanitation… even digital skills” and “climate smart farming.”
Dr. Maina praised the World Bank as a pivotal technical partner: “The World Bank is our valuable technical partner in these projects.”
She said that the success persuaded more state governors to request inclusion “because when you empower a woman, you empower a household, you empower a community, you rid the place of youth restiveness.”
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Looking ahead, Dr. Maina said the project aims to scale up to 4 million women across 32 states, with a projected establishment of 170,000 WAGs nationwide, compared to the 22,000 WAGs at pilot’s end.
“We’re looking at empowering over 4 million women just to be conservative,” she told Voice of Nigeria.
She emphasised that inclusivity is key in the next phase noting that the programme “takes care of women in IDPs, women refugees, women living with disabilities. It goes down to the real vulnerables.”
She highlighted the programme’s sustainable nature, saying: “It is not the usual dole out of palliative. It is economic empowerment initiative that is diverse, that is sustainable, because you do it yourself.”
Long-term Economic Model
Dr. Maina reiterated that NFWP is a long-term economic empowerment model, not a palliative scheme; “It is not the usual dole out of palliative. It is economic empowerment initiative that is diverse, that is sustainable, because you do it yourself.”
Painting a vivid picture of transformation, Dr Maina said: “You can imagine a woman at nano level selling garri ten naira is now a landowner through the livelihood support. Such a woman will have economic freedom which indirectly or directly will impact on her family and community.”
She aligned the programme firmly with the Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that the project offers hope to rural and peri-urban women.
“We have a programme that will enable you contribute to the GDP of this country. We’re dreaming of a trillion-dollar economy” she stated.
She further linked the NFWP to national economic goals, stating: “We will continue to do our best to make sure that we deliver on Nigerian women’s economic empowerment. To make sure that the women are positioned to contribute to the GDP, to the one trillion Dollar economy we envision by 2030.”
She also lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Women Affairs, saying: “I really want to appreciate the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and my Minister whom he has given the right key to operate the Women Affairs Ministry. She’s a right peg in the right hole and she is delivering on the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
The NFWP is an conomic empowerment initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria in partnership with the World Bank, aimed at improving women’s earnings and enhancing resilience at household and community levels.
The initiative reinforces the national commitment that when a woman is empowered, a family is supported, a community is uplifted, and the nation advances toward shared prosperity and sustainable development.
The programme strengthens Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) as platforms for financial inclusion, savings and internal lending, business and life skills development, nutrition and health awareness, digital and climate-smart livelihoods, and access to markets and productive resources.
Lateefah Ibrahim