Abiodun: 100,000 Ogun Women Benefit From World Bank-Supported Programme

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has said about 100,000 women across the state have directly benefited from interventions under the World Bank-supported Nigeria for Women Programme (NFWP).

Abiodun disclosed this during an engagement with the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Amina Mohammed, in Ogun State, where he highlighted the impact of the programme on women, families and communities across the state.

The governor said the progress recorded through the initiative had strengthened his administration’s conviction that meaningful economic empowerment of women is one of the most effective ways to reduce poverty, strengthen families and build thriving communities.

According to him, women empowerment should not be limited to political appointments, but should also focus on providing women with the skills, resources, financial opportunities and support needed to establish sustainable livelihoods and live with dignity.

“When the World Bank shared with us the Nigeria for Women Project, we did not only key into it; we took ownership of it,” Abiodun said, stressing that the programme created an opportunity to reach women who may not have access to political positions or conventional structures of empowerment.

He explained that his administration saw the programme as an avenue to reach women at the grassroots, particularly those who may never contest elections or occupy political offices, but who still require support to improve their households and businesses.

The governor said the state’s implementation of the programme has recorded significant progress since Ogun joined the initiative as one of the six pilot states in 2020.

Under the programme, 8,759 Women Affinity Groups comprising 247,273 women have been established across all 20 local government areas of Ogun State, according to the programme’s state coordinator, Bola Fadairo. The state has also exceeded its original target by 105 per cent.

Fadairo said beneficiaries have received training in areas including financial management, record-keeping, gender awareness and life skills, aimed at equipping them with the knowledge needed to build sustainable livelihoods and improve their household incomes.

Abiodun said the success of the programme has attracted attention from other states, with more than 25 states visiting Ogun to understudy its implementation model.

He expressed optimism that the initiative would be expanded across Nigeria so that more women could benefit from similar interventions.

“It is my prayer that this deepens across the length and breadth of the 36 states and the FCT,” the governor said, expressing satisfaction with the progress recorded in Ogun.

The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, also commended the Ogun State Government for its commitment to the programme, particularly the provision of seed funding and its focus on helping women grow their businesses.

Mohammed praised the beneficiaries for demonstrating resilience, creativity and enterprise, saying their achievements showed what women could accomplish when provided with the right support and opportunities.

She said she would take the Ogun experience back to her home state as an example of how deliberate investment in women can produce wider social and economic benefits.

“A country is as strong as its women,” Mohammed said while commending the women who have benefited from the initiative.

Abiodun further maintained that investing in women goes beyond individual beneficiaries, as economically empowered women are better positioned to support their families, improve household welfare and contribute to the development of their communities.