President Bola Tinubu has approved the nationwide scale-up of the Nigeria for Women Programme (NFWP), expanding its reach to 25 million women across the country in a major push to deepen women’s economic inclusion, social protection and national development.
The expansion follows the successful pilot phase of the programme in six states, which reached more than one million women. The national rollout introduces the Happy Woman App Platform, a secure digital system designed to connect women to finance, skills acquisition, markets, essential services and government support.
Speaking on Thursday at the Presidential Launch of the Programme Scale-Up at the State House, Abuja, President Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said Nigeria’s development aspirations could not be achieved without deliberately placing women at the centre of policy and economic planning.
“A nation that relegates its women is a nation bound for implosion. We have long understood this truth,” Tinubu said.
“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.”
The president stressed that women remain the backbone of Nigeria’s economy, family structure and community resilience, noting that empowering them was not optional but essential for sustainable growth.
“We have set a bold but achievable national ambition: to reach 25 million Nigerian women through this programme,” he said, calling on the World Bank to deepen its financing, technical assistance and innovation partnerships to support the scale-up.
Tinubu added that digital inclusion had become critical to effective governance and service delivery.
“Digital inclusion is no longer optional; it is foundational to national competitiveness and inclusive growth,” he said.
As part of broader social reforms, the president declared 2026 as the “Year of Social Development and Families in Nigeria,” directing all tiers of government to adopt coordinated policies aimed at strengthening family cohesion and social welfare. The declaration followed a Memorandum of Understanding signed during his official visit to Turkey in January, focused on enhancing social development systems.
Tinubu commended the Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Development for integrating technology into policy execution and restructuring social development initiatives into a more coherent framework under the Renewed Hope Social Impact Intervention launched in Lafia last year.
He also praised state governors and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) for aligning state-level implementation with the federal vision.
“National transformation succeeds when all levels of government move with shared purpose,” he said.
Earlier, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim, described the programme’s scale-up as a historic shift in Nigeria’s development approach, placing women not as passive beneficiaries but as key drivers of economic growth, social stability and democratic progress.
She said the Nigeria for Women Project (NFWP) Scale-Up represents one of the most ambitious social and economic empowerment initiatives ever undertaken in the country. According to her, the first phase of the project successfully addressed harmful social norms and strengthened women’s socio-economic resilience.
Beyond the numbers, Ibrahim noted that the programme had generated clear evidence of the transformative impact of women’s empowerment on households and communities.
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 Nigeria among a limited number of countries globally to attain that milestone.
World Bank Regional Representative for Africa, Mr. Robert Chase, said the programme was designed by the bank’s Social Policy Department to place women at the centre of development efforts, stressing that investing in women delivers the highest social and economic returns.
Similarly, the Director of the Nigeria Country Office of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr. Uche Amaonwu, said empowering women directly translates into healthier families, safer communities and reduced insecurity at the household level.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, expressed his ministry’s readiness to collaborate on initiatives that would empower women, particularly in agriculture and food systems.
Representing the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Senator Ireti Kingibe said the scale-up reflected the federal government’s resolve to address women’s needs, adding that the National Assembly would continue to enact laws to expand women’s access to governance and economic resources.
Delivering a goodwill message on behalf of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Deputy Governor of Katsina State, Malam Faruk Jobe, reaffirmed the commitment of state governments to providing counterpart funding for women-focused projects.
He disclosed that Katsina State, one of the participating states, had earmarked N4 billion in its current budget to support the successful implementation of the Nigeria for Women Programme.
With the nationwide expansion, the Tinubu administration is positioning the Nigeria for Women Programme as a central pillar of its Renewed Hope Agenda, aimed at driving inclusive growth, reducing poverty and strengthening social development across Nigeria.
