President Bola Tinubu has approved the expansion of the Nigeria for Women Programme to cover 25 million beneficiaries nationwide, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to women’s economic inclusion and sustainable national development.
The programme, which began with a pilot phase in six states and reached over one million beneficiaries, is being scaled up with the introduction of the Happy Woman App Platform—a secure digital interface designed to connect women to finance, skills, markets, essential services and government support.
Speaking on Thursday at the Presidential Launch of the Programme Scale-Up at the State House, Abuja, Tinubu, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said Nigeria could not achieve sustainable growth without placing women at the centre of national planning.
According to him, “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.”
The president noted that while women have been central to Nigeria’s development story, they also remain critical to family stability, community resilience and national productivity.
“We have set a bold but achievable national ambition: to reach 25 million Nigerian women through this programme,” he said, while calling on the World Bank to strengthen its financing, technical support and innovation partnerships for the national scale-up.
He added that “digital inclusion is no longer optional; it is foundational to effective service delivery and national competitiveness.”
Tinubu also declared 2026 as the “Year of Social Development and Families in Nigeria,” directing coordinated action across all levels of government. The declaration followed a Memorandum of Understanding signed during his official visit to Turkey in January, aimed at strengthening 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 into a more coherent system since the launch of the Renewed Hope Social Impact Intervention in Lafia last year, describing the progress as evidence of purposeful leadership.
The president further praised state governors and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum for aligning federal vision with state-level execution, noting that “national transformation succeeds when all levels of government move with shared purpose.”
Earlier, in her welcome address, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim, said the launch marked a major shift under Tinubu’s leadership, where women are no longer treated as peripheral beneficiaries but as central drivers of economic growth, social cohesion and democratic stability.
She described the Nigeria for Women Project (NFWP) Scale-Up as one of the most ambitious expansions of social and economic empowerment in the country’s history, adding that the first phase successfully addressed harmful social norms while strengthening women’s socio-economic resilience.
Beyond its achievements, Ibrahim said the project had provided strong evidence of the transformative power of women’s empowerment. She also announced the launch of Nigeria’s Third National Action Plan on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, positioning the country among a select group globally to reach the milestone.
World Bank Regional Representative for Africa, Robert Chase, said the project was designed by the bank’s Social Policy Department to place women at the centre of development, stressing that investing in women remains the most impactful investment any nation can make.
Similarly, Director of the Nigeria Country Office of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Uche Amaonwu, noted that empowering women directly translates into healthier families and safer communities, adding that women’s empowerment significantly reduces disease and insecurity at the household level.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, expressed his ministry’s readiness to collaborate on initiatives aimed at empowering women nationwide.
Representing the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Senator Ireti Kingibe said the scale-up of the Nigeria for Women Project demonstrated the federal government’s resolve to address women’s needs, assuring that the National Assembly would continue to enact legislation to expand women’s access to governance and economic resources.
Delivering a goodwill message on behalf of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Deputy Governor of Katsina State, Malam Faruk Jobe, reaffirmed the commitment of state governments to providing counterpart funding for the successful implementation of women-focused projects. He disclosed that Katsina State, a participating state, had earmarked N4 billion in its current budget to support the initiative.
