The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women have launched a new partnership focused on boosting economic opportunities for women-led businesses.
The official signing ceremony took place at the private residence of Cherie Blair CBE KC, who is the Founder of the Foundation.
The Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, was present alongside the Cherie Blair Foundation team to officially begin this impactful collaboration.
A statement by the Minister’s Special Adviser on Media & Publicity, Jonathan Eze, shared on Wednesday in Abuja, revealed that this initiative is designed to provide better access to training, funding, and business markets for female entrepreneurs across the country.
Cherie Blair, while speaking on the development, highlighted the urgency of the program and its potential for growth. “I have enormous appreciation for the Ministry’s vision and commitment to women entrepreneurs in Nigeria, one that I share,” she said. “Women and their businesses are critical to Nigeria’s economy, and we must address the challenges they face to ensure sustainable growth, economic independence, and representation as leaders.”
This new alliance supports the Renewed Hope Social Impact Interventions – 774, which is part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. The program targets all 774 local government areas in Nigeria with the goal of improving the quality of life for women, children, families, and vulnerable groups.
Minister Sulaiman-Ibrahim stressed the value of this initiative. “This partnership reflects our shared belief that empowering women economically is not optional; it is essential. Through this collaboration, we are scaling real tools, real access, and real opportunity. We are not just telling stories of change; we are building systems of change that will uplift millions of Nigerian women and strengthen the future of our economy.”
She also explained that this collaboration is the product of “months of alignment, trust-building, and a shared mission to deliver measurable impact.”
With nearly 150,000 women already supported by the Cherie Blair Foundation in Nigeria, the organization’s CEO, Dhivya O’Connor, expressed confidence in the program’s potential.
“We welcome the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs adopting this tried-and-tested approach to support women’s entrepreneurship development—specialist training, digital technology to engage women, strong localization, and committed, long-term collaboration.”