…Beneficiaries saved ₦2.6bn, accessed over ₦4bn loans in seven months — Abiodun
Zainab Abioye
The Ogun State Government, in partnership with the Federal Government and the World Bank, has commenced the disbursement of a ₦6bn Community Investment Fund to 3,855 Women Affinity Groups across four local government areas under the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up.
The intervention, according to the state government, is designed to expand women-led businesses, increase household incomes and strengthen the economic resilience of women and their families.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony in Ijebu-Ode, Governor Dapo Abiodun, represented by the immediate past Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Motunrayo Adijat Adeleye, said the fund was part of the administration’s efforts to move women from subsistence economic activities to sustainable enterprises.
Abiodun said the beneficiaries had fulfilled key conditions of the programme, including regular participation, savings, internal lending, opening of bank accounts and preparation of Micro-Investment Plans.
“Today, we gather not merely to mark the disbursement of a fund, but to celebrate another important step in our deliberate journey of empowering women, strengthening families and expanding opportunities for sustainable livelihoods,” the governor said.
He disclosed that the participating women had collectively saved ₦2.6bn in seven months, while loans accessed through the groups had exceeded ₦4bn.
“These figures are more than statistics; they are compelling evidence of the financial discipline, trust, commitment and readiness that the Women Affinity Groups have developed under the programme,” Abiodun said.
The governor, however, clarified that the ₦6bn Community Investment Fund was not an outright grant, describing it instead as a sustainable revolving financing facility intended to provide capital for businesses, generate income and employment and improve household welfare.
According to him, the intervention is an expansion of the Nigeria for Women Project, which began implementation in Ogun State in December 2020 following an agreement between the World Bank and the Federal Government in 2018.
He said the parent programme established 3,792 Women Affinity Groups across 1,003 communities in Odeda, Ikenne, Ijebu North-East and Yewa North.
The governor added that 368 Ward Facilitators were trained and deployed, while 67,094 women received individual grants in April 2022.
Under the Scale-Up phase, Abiodun said the programme had expanded to seven local government areas — Ifo, Ado-Odo/Ota, Ijebu-Ode, Sagamu, Abeokuta North, Ipokia and Remo North.
He said 5,394 WAGs had been formed, reaching 124,062 women as of September 21, 2026.
The programme, he added, had also reached 3,489 communities, with 664 Ward Facilitators trained, while about 26 states had visited Ogun to understudy the state’s implementation model.
Abiodun further said the World Bank had adopted Ogun as a training hub for the programme.
The governor said the WAG model was not limited to providing access to finance, but also incorporated financial literacy, savings, responsible borrowing, collective accountability, entrepreneurship, gender awareness and life skills.
The programme, he added, also provides opportunities relating to health insurance, climate adaptation, strategic partnerships and National Identification Number enrolment.
“In other words, the programme is building not only businesses, but knowledgeable, financially disciplined and economically resilient women,” Abiodun said.
He assured the beneficiaries of continued policy and institutional support from his administration, while commending the World Bank, Federal Project Coordinating Unit and other partners involved in the programme.
Also speaking, the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, represented by the Special Assistant on Technical Management, Princess Jummaih Idonije, described the initiative as a strategic economic intervention aligned with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
She said expanding women’s economic opportunities remained important to inclusive national development.
The minister commended Ogun State for its implementation of the programme and urged beneficiaries to sustain the initiative by becoming models for other women participating in the scheme.
The World Bank Task Team Manager, Michael Ilesanmi, said the programme was helping to address financial access gaps confronting women while equipping them with the capacity to withstand economic pressures.
He noted that access to finance, when combined with financial discipline and business skills, could strengthen women’s participation in economic activities.
The Commissioner for Finance and Chief Economic Adviser to the Governor and Chairman of the Multi-Sectoral Committee of the NFWP-SU, Dapo Okubadejo, said the intervention demonstrated the importance of deliberate investment in women.
Okubadejo, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Barrister Adebimpe Obienu, said women remained important contributors to the state’s economy as traders, farmers, processors, artisans, entrepreneurs and community builders.
He commended the World Bank, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and other stakeholders for supporting the programme, while acknowledging community leaders for facilitating its acceptance at the grassroots.
Some beneficiaries who spoke at the ceremony, including Oyesanya Omotoke of Irede WAG in Sagamu, Ayomide Ogunleye of Ifeoluwa WAG in Ijebu-Ode and Adesola Teriba, Chairperson of Success WAG in Abeokuta North, expressed appreciation for the intervention.
They said the financing opportunity would enable members to strengthen their businesses and improve their livelihoods.
The beneficiaries also highlighted the role of the WAG structure in encouraging savings, internal lending, financial discipline and collective responsibility.
They pledged to deploy the funds for productive economic activities, maintain proper records and sustain the culture of savings and accountability promoted by the programme.
The government also urged existing and prospective WAG members to embrace financial literacy, regular savings, responsible borrowing and proper record-keeping to maximise the benefits of the intervention.
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