The Ogun State Government, in partnership with the Federal Government and the World Bank, has begun disbursing N6 billion from the Community Investment Fund to 3,855 women affinity groups across four local government areas under the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up.
The intervention is aimed at expanding women-led businesses, strengthening household livelihoods and increasing women’s participation in economic activities.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony in Ijebu-Ode, Governor Dapo Abiodun, represented by the immediate-past Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Motunrayo Adeleye, said the fund was designed to enable women to move from subsistence activities to sustainable enterprises.
“Today, we gather not merely to mark the disbursement of a fund, but to celebrate another important step in our deliberate journey of empowering women, strengthening families and expanding opportunities for sustainable livelihoods.
“The beneficiary groups have demonstrated their readiness for the intervention by meeting key programme requirements, including regular participation, savings and internal lending, opening bank accounts and preparing Micro-Investment Plans.”
He disclosed that the women had collectively saved N2.6bn in the past seven months, while loans accessed through the groups had risen to more than N4bn.
According to him, the figures demonstrated the financial discipline, trust and commitment developed by the WAGs.
“These figures are more than statistics; they are compelling evidence of the financial discipline, trust, commitment and readiness that the Women Affinity Groups have developed under the programme,” he said.
The governor clarified that the N6bn CIF was not an outright grant but a sustainable revolving financing facility designed to provide capital for establishing and expanding businesses, creating employment and improving household welfare.
He explained that the intervention was an extension of the Nigeria for Women Project, which commenced in the state in December 2020, following the signing of the project between the World Bank and the Federal Government in 2018.
Abiodun said the parent project established 3,792 WAGs across 1,003 communities in Odeda, Ikenne, Ijebu North-East and Yewa North Local Government Areas.
He added that 368 Ward Facilitators were trained and deployed, while 67,094 women beneficiaries received individual grants in April 2022.
According to him, the Scale-Up phase has expanded to seven local government areas— Ifo, Ado-Odo/Ota, Ijebu-Ode, Sagamu, Abeokuta North, Ipokia and Remo North.
He said 5,394 WAGs had been formed under the scale-up phase, reaching 124,062 women as of September 21, 2026.
“The programme has also covered 3,489 communities, with 664 trained ward facilitators, while about 26 states have visited Ogun to study its model and the World Bank has adopted the state as a training hub,” Abiodun stated.
The governor said the WAG model went beyond providing access to finance, noting that it also incorporated financial literacy, savings, responsible borrowing, collective accountability, business and entrepreneurial skills, gender awareness and life skills.
He added that beneficiaries were also being exposed to opportunities relating to health insurance, climate adaptation, strategic partnerships and National Identification Number enrolment.
“In other words, the programme is building not only businesses, but knowledgeable, financially disciplined and economically resilient women,” he said.
Abiodun reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to providing the policy support and institutional collaboration required to complement the intervention, while appreciating the World Bank, Federal Project Coordinating Unit and other partners for their support.
Also speaking, the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, represented by her Special Assistant on Technical Management, Jummaih Idonije, described the initiative as a strategic economic intervention consistent with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
She said expanding women’s economic opportunities remained central to inclusive national development.
The minister commended Ogun State for its leadership in implementing the programme, urging the beneficiaries to sustain the momentum and serve as models to other WAGs across the participating local government areas.
The World Bank Task Team Manager, Michael Ilesanmi, said the programme was helping to bridge financial access gaps for women while strengthening their capacity to withstand economic pressures.
The Commissioner for Finance and Chief Economic Adviser to the Governor and Chairman of the Multi-Sectoral Committee of the NFWP-SU, Dapo Okubadejo, said the intervention underscored the importance of deliberate investment in women.
Okubadejo, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Adebimpe Obienu, noted that women played significant roles as traders, farmers, processors, artisans, entrepreneurs and community builders.
He commended the World Bank, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and other stakeholders for their contributions to the implementation of the programme, while acknowledging the support of community leaders in ensuring its acceptance at the grassroots.
Some beneficiaries, including Oyesanya Omotoke of Irede WAG in Sagamu, Ayomide Ogunleye of Ifeoluwa WAG in Ijebu-Ode and Adesola Teriba, Chairperson of Success WAG in Abeokuta North, expressed appreciation for the intervention.
They said the fund would help women strengthen their businesses and improve their livelihoods, while commending the WAG model for promoting savings, internal lending, financial discipline and collective responsibility.
Source: punchng.com
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