Speaking at the flag-off ceremony at the Awujale Pavilion, Ojude Oba Arena, Ijebu-Ode, the Commissioner for Finance and Chief Economic Adviser, Mr. Dapo Okubadejo, who also serves as Chairman of the Multi sectorial Coordination Structure (MCS), described the event as a new chapter in the State’s commitment to advancing women’s economic empowerment.
He commended the unwavering support and exceptional leadership of the Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, whose guidance led to the success of the first phase of the NFWP in Ijebu North-East, Odeda, Yewa North, and Ikenne LGAs.
Okubadejo recalled that under the Governor’s leadership, the State gained national recognition when the World Bank designated the State Project Coordinating Unit as a Resource Centre for Peer Learning, attracting 16 States for knowledge sharing and capacity-building.
Reaffirming the alignment of the programme with the administration’s Building Our Future Together agenda, he noted that Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) remained a strategic pillar for inclusive growth, stronger households and long-term sustainable development.
He noted that under the scale-up phase, 420 Ward Facilitators would serve as frontline implementers, while each facilitator would guide the formation of ten Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) of 25 members each—bringing total direct beneficiaries to 105,000 women.
According to him "the beneficiaries will undergo capacity-building in financial education, business skills, life skills and the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM), all of which is geared towards enhancing their entrepreneurial, productive skill as well as contribute to the State’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP),"Okubadejo said.
In her remarks, Ogun state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Adijat Adeleye, highlighted the outstanding achievements recorded during the first phase of the programme, including the successful formation of 3,792 Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) and 61 Livelihood Collectives/Hubs across Ijebu North-East, Odeda, Yewa North and Ikenne LGAs.
Adeleye credited the achievements to the unwavering political will and visionary leadership of Governor Abiodun led administration, noting that Ogun state was fully prepared to exceed the targets set by the Federal Government and the World Bank in the scale-up phase.
She assured that gaps identified in the first phase were already being addressed to strengthen project impact in the scale-up phase.
She revealed that Ijebu-Ode alone was targeted to enroll at least 25,000 women, while urging market women, artisans, professionals and all women aged 18 and above to fully embrace the opportunity, adding that facilitators were deliberately selected from within the communities to build trust and enhance acceptance.
In his remarks, the World Bank Task Team Leader for the Nigeria for Women Programme, Mr. Michael Ilesanmi, commended Ogun State for its exceptional leadership and consistency in delivering the programme.
He described Ogun as the flagship for the programme in Nigeria, noting that the State had demonstrated repeatedly that investing in women would always yield transformational results. According to him, “when you empower a woman, you empower her household and by extension, you empower the community,” he said.
Mr. Ilesanmi also disclosed that Ogun was the first State in Nigeria to take concrete steps toward institutionalising the NFWP through the development of a Women Economic Empowerment Trust Fund, alongside other sustainability platforms.
Speaking on behalf of other beneficiaries, Mrs. Adesina from the Rice Processing Livelihood Collective in Iworo, Ijebu-Ode Local Government and Mrs. Nike Adeyemi from Obantoko in Odeda Local Government Area, expressed deep appreciation to the State Government for sustaining and expanding the Nigeria for Women Programme, saying the initiative had improved productivity, strengthened women-led businesses and helped many households become more economically stable.
