The federal government has launched the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up Project (NFWP-SU) to reach 25 million women beneficiaries nationwide, alongside a digital platform connecting women to finance, markets, skills, essential services, and government support, with implementation coordinated through federal and state institutions and relevant development partners nationwide.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu expanded the Nigeria for Women Programme, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to women’s economic inclusion and national development through the national scale-up and inclusive policy direction for all citizens nationwide.
The programme builds on a pilot phase in six states that reached over one million beneficiaries. The scale-up introduces the Happy Woman App Platform, a secure digital interface linking women to finance, skills development, markets, essential services, and government interventions, while improving access, transparency, coordination, monitoring, and data-driven decision making across participating states and institutions.
Speaking on Thursday at the Presidential Launch at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the President, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said Nigeria cannot achieve sustainable growth without placing women at the centre of national planning.
“A nation that relegates its women is a nation bound for implosion. We have long understood this truth. That is why this administration has not only placed women at the forefront of decision-making but has also entrusted them with leadership in causes that redeem our national promise. Today stands as proof of that commitment, and I am proud to be part of this journey,” he said.
President Tinubu said women are authors of Nigeria’s development story and remain vital to family stability, community resilience, and national productivity, adding that inclusive growth depends on deliberate investment in women.
He announced an ambition to reach 25 million Nigerian women through the programme and called on the World Bank to strengthen financing, technical support, and innovation partnerships for the scale-up.
“Digital inclusion is no longer optional; it is foundational to effective service delivery and national competitiveness,” he added.
The President designated 2026 as the “Year of Social Development and Families in Nigeria,” directing coordinated action across all levels of government to improve social outcomes.
The declaration followed a Memorandum of Understanding signed during his January visit to Turkey to strengthen family cohesion and social welfare systems.
He commended the Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Development for integrating technology into policy implementation and reorganising social development since the launch of the Renewed Hope Social Impact Intervention in Lafia last year.
According to him, the changes reflect what purposeful leadership can achieve when policies are aligned with delivery.
He also praised state governors and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum for aligning federal vision with state execution, stating that “national transformation succeeds when all levels of government move with shared purpose.”
Earlier, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim, said the launch marked a shift under President Tinubu, where women are no longer viewed as peripheral beneficiaries of development.
She said women are recognised as central drivers of economic growth, social cohesion, and democratic stability, noting that the scale-up deepens inclusion.
The Minister described the NFWP Scale-Up as one of the most ambitious expansions of social and economic empowerment in Nigeria’s history.
She said phase one addressed harmful social norms and strengthened women’s socio-economic resilience through community-based interventions.
Beyond these outcomes, she said the project delivered evidence of the transformative impact of women’s empowerment on households and communities.
She announced the launch of Nigeria’s Third National Action Plan on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security, placing Nigeria among a select group globally.
The World Bank Regional Representative for Africa, Mr. Robert Chase, said the project was designed by the bank’s Social Policy Department to place women at the centre of development.
He said investing in women remains the most impactful investment any nation can make for stability and growth, innovation, inclusion, productivity, and long term prosperity across communities.
The Director of the Nigeria Country Office of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Uche Amaonwu, said empowering women leads to healthier families and safer communities.
He noted that women’s empowerment reduces disease and insecurity at the household level and improves wellbeing.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, expressed readiness to collaborate on initiatives empowering women nationwide.
Representing the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Senator Ireti Kingibe said the scale-up reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to women’s needs.
She said the National Assembly would continue to enact legislation expanding women’s access to governance and economic resources, while supporting oversight for effective implementation and accountability nationwide.
Delivering a goodwill message for the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Deputy Governor of Katsina State, Malam Faruk Jobe, reaffirmed commitment to counterpart funding.
He disclosed that Katsina State has earmarked ₦4 billion in its current budget to support implementation and sustained programme delivery across communities nationwide effectively and inclusively nationwide successfully.
