The Ogun State Government has rolled out a new women-focused intervention under the Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up (NFWP-SU). The target is more than 105,000 women in Ifo, Ijebu-Ode, Sagamu, and Ado-Odo/Ota council areas. The support plan includes access to funding opportunities, business skills, and stronger social networks.
At the project launch in Akute, Ifo LGA, on Thursday, the 6th of November, 2025, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Adijat Adeleye, said 420 Ward Facilitators have been appointed. Each facilitator will create ten Women Affinity Groups (WAGs).
Adeleye described the WAGs as non-political platforms made up of 25 women per group. By the end of the rollout, 4,200 groups will be active across the councils, forming a broad network of women working to strengthen their financial capacity.
Explaining the purpose behind the groups, she stated that, “These Women Affinity Groups are not just gatherings, they are safe, transparent, and non-political spaces where women will learn financial literacy, entrepreneurship, savings, and investment.
“For many unbanked women, this will serve as their first connection to the formal economy, a veritable platform to save together, grow together, and rise together.”
She noted that this stage of the project builds on achievements recorded in Odeda, Yewa North, Ijebu North-East, and Ikenne. The earlier phase drew praise from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and officials from other states who visited to learn from the model.
Adeleye credited the progress to Governor Dapo Abiodun, his deputy, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, the Finance Commissioner and Chief Economic Adviser, Dapo Okubadejo, and the State Project Coordinating Unit led by Bolanle Fadairo. She identified the project team and facilitators as “the true champions of grassroots transformation.”
She appealed to traditional rulers, community heads, and other local influencers to back the initiative, stressing that the Scale-Up Project represents a wider push to deepen women’s economic empowerment across the state.
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Mrs. Bolanle Fadairo, who leads the NFWP-SU in Ogun, added that the project originated from the federal level and first ran in six states. She said it focuses on structured support systems that help women grow their earnings.
According to her, the Scale-Up involves training facilitators and forming the WAGs, each with 25 participants working as a unit to improve income and financial knowledge.
“The aim is for these women to rise together, scale up together, and sustain their growth through shared learning, savings, and enterprise support,” she said.
The Chairman of the Akute Central Community Development Council, Moradeun Ogundele, welcomed the programme. She said it would improve the economic condition of the beneficiaries and help women gain financial stability from the community level.