The Federal Government has declared that women’s economic empowerment must no longer be treated as “Any Other Business (AOB)”, positioning it instead as a central pillar of national development, economic stability, and social progress.
Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, made the position known while speaking at the Evidence Forum on Women, Jobs, and Markets organised by the World Bank Group in Abuja. She said the national conversation must move beyond questioning women’s capabilities to confronting systemic barriers limiting their full economic participation.
“The question before us is not whether women are capable, but whether systems are prepared to allow women to unlock their economic opportunities at scale,” she stated.
Drawing on data from the World Bank Group, the Minister noted that closing Nigeria’s gender gap in labour force participation could add as much as $229 billion to the country’s GDP by 2030. She warned that persistent inequalities in access to finance, education, and productivity are not merely social concerns but broader economic and security risks.
“These are not simply gender disparities; they are macroeconomic and national security risks that demand urgent action,” she said.
The Minister aligned the government’s approach with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, highlighting its focus on poverty eradication, job creation, and inclusive growth. According to her, women’s empowerment sits at the core of these priorities and must be treated with the same urgency as other national infrastructure.
Central to implementation is the Renewed Hope Social Impact Interventions–774 programme, designed to reach over 50 million Nigerians across all local government areas. Sulaiman-Ibrahim described the initiative as “a transformative, gender-responsive programme that will directly impact over 50 million women, children, families, and vulnerable persons.”
She also identified the expansion of the Nigeria for Women Project to 32 states as a critical delivery platform. The programme integrates financial inclusion, livelihood support, and social protection mechanisms aimed at strengthening household resilience and local economies.
“This approach replaces fragmented interventions with a systemic model capable of reshaping local economies, reducing household vulnerability, and positioning women as the drivers of Nigeria’s inclusive growth,” she said.
Providing performance updates, the Minister disclosed that more than 460,000 women have been mobilised into affinity groups under the programme, collectively saving ₦4.9 billion. She added that over 330,000 women have accessed livelihood grants, reflecting growing traction in grassroots economic participation.
On policy direction, she outlined three priority areas: agriculture, economic inclusion, and access to capital. She noted that women make up about 70 percent of Nigeria’s agricultural workforce but earn significantly less and own a fraction of available farmland.
“Women constitute 70% of the agricultural workforce but earn 30% less and own only 10% of farmland,” she said, adding that targeted interventions such as Women Agro Value Expansion are being deployed to address these imbalances. She further referenced digital and creative economy initiatives aimed at expanding opportunities for women beyond traditional sectors.
Despite ongoing progress, the Minister acknowledged financing constraints, particularly in scaling programmes nationwide and sustaining digital platforms that support women entrepreneurs.
“We are eager to expand, but we need more,” she said, calling for increased stakeholder investment and collaboration.
She urged a shift in policy thinking from isolated projects to integrated systems capable of delivering impact at scale.
“We must move from project to platform and systems thinking… We must treat women’s economic empowerment as national infrastructure; no less critical than roads or power plants,” she said.
Reaffirming women’s role in driving economic transformation, the Minister stressed that Nigerian women are already contributing significantly across sectors.
“The women of Nigeria are not waiting for permission. They are saving, farming, trading, creating, and building,” she said.
She also expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for sustained support, particularly for the Nigeria for Women Project scale-up, and commended the World Bank Group for its continued partnership.
“The World Bank has stood with us through the first phase of the Nigeria for Women Project, and today, on the Nigeria for Women Program Scale-Up (NFWP-SU), you have demonstrated that your commitment to Nigerian women is not a one-time event but enduring,” she said.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim concluded with a call for concrete outcomes, stating that the focus must now shift from justification to execution.
“The question before us is no longer why we should invest in women, but how our systems must be redesigned to unleash their full potential at scale.”
