The Ogun State Government has commenced the disbursement of a N6 billion Community Investment Fund (CIF) to 3,855 women groups across four local government areas to boost women-led businesses and improve household livelihoods.
The intervention, being implemented in partnership with the Federal Government and the World Bank under the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up (NFWP-SU), is designed to expand women’s access to finance, strengthen economic resilience and promote sustainable livelihoods.
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 would help women transform subsistence activities into sustainable enterprises.
He said the initiative was part of his administration’s efforts to empower women, strengthen families and expand opportunities for economic growth.
‘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.
Abiodun disclosed that the beneficiary Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) had collectively saved N2.6 billion in seven months, while loans accessed through the groups exceeded N4 billion.
He said the figures demonstrated the financial discipline, trust and commitment developed by the groups, adding that beneficiaries had met programme requirements, including regular participation, savings, internal lending, opening of bank accounts and preparation of Micro-Investment Plans.
The governor, however, clarified that the N6 billion fund was not an outright grant but a sustainable revolving financing facility designed to provide capital for establishing and expanding businesses, generating income and employment, and improving household welfare.
‘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.
Abiodun said the intervention built on the Nigeria for Women Project, which commenced in Ogun in December 2020 following an agreement between the World Bank and the Federal Government in 2018.
He said the parent project established 3,792 WAGs across 1,003 communities in Odeda, Ikenne, Ijebu North East and Yewa North, while 368 ward facilitators were trained and deployed.
The project also provided individual grants to 67,094 women in April 2022, he added.
According to him, the scale-up phase has expanded to seven local government areas – Ifo, Ado-Odo/Ota, Ijebu-Ode, Sagamu, Abeokuta North, Ipokia and Remo North – with 5,394 WAGs formed and 124,062 women reached as of September 21, 2026.
The programme, he said, has covered 3,489 communities, with 664 trained ward facilitators, while about 26 states have visited Ogun to understudy its implementation model.
The World Bank, he added, had adopted the state as a training hub for the programme.
Abiodun said the WAG model extended beyond access to finance to include financial literacy, savings, responsible borrowing, collective accountability, entrepreneurial skills, gender awareness and life skills.
It also provides opportunities for 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.
The governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to providing the policy support and institutional collaboration required to sustain the intervention, while appreciating the World Bank, the Federal Project Coordinating Unit and other partners for their contributions.
Also speaking, the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, represented by her Special Assistant on Technical Management, Princess Jummaih Idonije, described the initiative as a strategic economic intervention aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
She said expanding women’s economic opportunities was central to inclusive national development.
The minister commended Ogun State for its leadership in the programme and urged beneficiaries to serve as models for other women groups across participating local government areas.
The World Bank Task Team Manager, Michael Ilesanmi, said the programme was helping to bridge financial access gaps for women while strengthening their capacity to withstand economic pressures.
Similarly, the Commissioner for Finance and Chief Economic Adviser to the Governor, Dapo Okubadejo, said the intervention underscored the importance of investing deliberately in women, who contribute significantly to the economy as traders, farmers, processors, artisans, entrepreneurs and community builders.
Okubadejo, who chairs the programme’s Multi-Sectoral Committee, was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Adebimpe Obienu.
He commended the World Bank, the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, community leaders and other stakeholders for supporting the programme’s implementation.
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 help strengthen their businesses and improve their livelihoods, while the WAG model had encouraged savings, internal lending, financial discipline and collective responsibility.
The beneficiaries pledged to deploy the funds to productive economic activities, sustain accountability and ensure the intervention translated into stronger businesses, higher household incomes and improved livelihoods for their families and communities.