The Federal Government has announced that it has activated the economic empowerment of no fewer than 10 million women as part of efforts to achieve its $1 trillion economy ambition.
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, made this known at a high-level sideline event of the 2025 United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States of America.
The event, themed “Scaling Women’s Economic Empowerment: Financing Inclusive Growth for Peace, Development, and Human Rights—Lessons from Nigeria for Women Project,” focused on advancing women’s economic opportunities.
Speaking at the gathering, the minister explained that the empowerment is being achieved through targeted projects, initiatives, programmes, and interventions tailored to women. She identified the Nigeria for Women Project as one of the key platforms driving this initiative.
According to her, the project, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is currently the country’s most significant women’s economic empowerment platform.
“In phase one, we mobilised over 460,000 women into Women Affinity Groups across multiple states. These groups have collectively saved an average of N4.9 billion of their own money and have inter-loaned significantly to expand businesses, cover health costs, and pay school fees. In addition, over 330,000 women have accessed livelihood grants, while thousands have been linked to formal financial institutions, national ID, and health insurance schemes,” she said.
She added that following the pilot launch in six states, the programme had been expanded nationwide. “It is critical to highlight that while this model borrows from the most successful global experiences, we have wholly adapted it to Nigerian realities. The Women Affinity Groups that are created under the programme have become platforms of voice, social capital, and economic agency. They are changing the texture of communities, lowering household vulnerability, and strengthening our democracy from below,” she stated.
The minister further explained that investing in women’s entrepreneurship would not only transform incomes but also improve nutrition, education, and community stability. Based on this understanding, she said the government consolidated its empowerment approach into a single delivery system that integrates agriculture, clean energy, logistics, digital access, and mobile services.
“We call this the Renewed Hope Social Impact Interventions – 774 (RH-SII774). This programme is envisioned as a transformative, gender-responsive initiative that will directly impact over 50 million women, children, families, and vulnerable persons across all 774 Local Government Areas of the Federation. It provides a unified national platform to tackle systemic issues such as gender inequality, family instability, digital exclusion, child vulnerability, and economic disempowerment. It is a full-scale transformation of how social protection and women’s economic empowerment are delivered in Nigeria,” she said.
Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazak of Kwara State, also addressed the meeting through his representative, Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State. He stressed that investments in women empowerment are both a moral duty and an economic necessity.
“In Nigeria and around the world, when a woman thrives, family, communities, and entire communities thrive,” he said. He described the Nigeria for Women Programme as a clear example of the impact of sustained and targeted financing.
“The programme is collaboration among the Federal Government, State Ministries, the World Bank and other partners. It began in six states and is now active in 15 states, with commitments from 32 states overall. To date, more than 46,000 women have organised into 22,000 Women Affinity Groups, saving over N4.4 billion and channelling these resources into small businesses that are transforming families and communities alike,” he said.
The Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, commended President Tinubu for his strong support and commitment to women’s inclusivity and youth development. “So many policies and initiatives have been put in place to empower women at the national and sub-national levels on women’s empowerment,” she added.
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State said his administration had given special attention to women’s empowerment, stressing that women were the main beneficiaries of almost all empowerment programmes in the state.
Other dignitaries present included Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, and the First Lady of Zamfara State, Hajiya Huriyya Lawal.
The Charge d’Affaires at the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations, Samson Itegboje, and Professor Kabir Mato also attended the event.