The Ogun State Government has commenced the disbursement of N6 billion from the Community Investment Fund to 3,855 Women Affinity Groups across four local government areas under the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up.

The initiative, implemented in partnership with the Federal Government and the World Bank, is designed to support women-led businesses, strengthen household livelihoods and expand women’s participation in economic activities.

The disbursement was formally launched in Ijebu-Ode, where Governor Dapo Abiodun, represented by the immediate-past Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Motunrayo Adeleye, said the financing was intended to help women transition from subsistence activities to sustainable enterprises.

“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 beneficiary groups have demonstrated their readiness for the intervention by meeting key programme requirements, including regular participation, savings and internal lending, opening bank accounts and preparing Micro-Investment Plans.”

According to Abiodun, the participating women had collectively saved N2.6 billion over the preceding seven months, while loans accessed through the groups had exceeded N4 billion.

He said the figures reflected the financial discipline, trust and commitment developed by the Women Affinity Groups under the programme.

“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,” he said.

The governor clarified that the N6 billion Community Investment Fund was not an outright grant. Rather, it is a sustainable revolving financing facility intended to provide capital for establishing and expanding businesses, creating employment and improving household welfare.

He said the intervention builds on the Nigeria for Women Project, which began in Ogun State in December 2020 after the World Bank and Federal Government signed the project in 2018.

Under the parent project, Abiodun said, 3,792 Women Affinity Groups were established across 1,003 communities in Odeda, Ikenne, Ijebu North-East and Yewa North Local Government Areas.

The programme also trained and deployed 368 Ward Facilitators, while 67,094 women beneficiaries received individual grants in April 2022.

The Scale-Up phase has since expanded the programme to seven local government areas: Ifo, Ado-Odo/Ota, Ijebu-Ode, Sagamu, Abeokuta North, Ipokia and Remo North.

As of September 21, 2026, Abiodun said 5,394 Women Affinity Groups had been formed under the Scale-Up phase, reaching 124,062 women.

“The programme has also covered 3,489 communities, with 664 trained ward facilitators, while about 26 states have visited Ogun to study its model and the World Bank has adopted the state as a training hub,” Abiodun stated.

Beyond financing, the governor said the Women Affinity Group model incorporates financial literacy, savings, responsible borrowing, collective accountability, business and entrepreneurial skills, gender awareness and life skills.

Beneficiaries are also being exposed to opportunities involving 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,” he said.

Abiodun reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to providing the policy support and institutional collaboration needed to complement the intervention. He also appreciated the World Bank, Federal Project Coordinating Unit and other partners for their support.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, represented by her Special Assistant on Technical Management, Jummaih Idonije, described the initiative as a strategic economic intervention aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

She said expanding women’s economic opportunities remained central to inclusive national development.

The minister also commended Ogun State for its leadership in implementing the programme and urged beneficiaries to maintain the momentum and become models for other Women Affinity Groups across the participating local government areas.

The World Bank Task Team Manager, Michael Ilesanmi, said the programme was helping to close financial access gaps for women while improving their capacity to withstand economic pressures.

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 highlighted the importance of deliberate investment in women.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Adebimpe Obienu, Okubadejo said women play significant roles as traders, farmers, processors, artisans, entrepreneurs and community builders.

He commended the World Bank, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and other stakeholders for their contributions to the programme’s implementation, while recognising the support of community leaders in securing grassroots acceptance.

Some beneficiaries, 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 fund would enable women to strengthen their businesses and improve their livelihoods. They also commended the Women Affinity Group model for encouraging savings, internal lending, financial discipline and collective responsibility.

Source: Punch