President Tinubu Expands Women’s Empowerment Programme to Target 25 Million Beneficiaries

President Bola Tinubu has announced a major expansion of the Nigeria for Women Programme, with a new goal of reaching 25 million beneficiaries across the country.

The announcement was made on Thursday at the Presidential Launch of the Programme Scale-Up in Abuja, where the President, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to women’s economic inclusion as a cornerstone of national development.

“A nation that relegates its women is a nation bound for implosion,” President Tinubu stated. “We have set a bold but achievable national ambition: to reach 25 million Nigerian women through this programme.”

He called on the World Bank to enhance its financing and technical support for the initiative and emphasized that “digital inclusion is no longer optional; it is foundational to effective service delivery.”

The President also formally designated 2026 as the “Year of Social Development and Families in Nigeria,” directing coordinated action across all tiers of government. This follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed during his official visit to Turkey in January, aimed at strengthening family and social welfare systems.

In her address, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman, described the scale-up as “one of the most far-reaching and ambitious expansions of social and economic empowerment in the nation’s history.” She noted that the project’s first phase successfully addressed harmful social norms and improved women’s socio-economic resilience.

The Minister also launched Nigeria’s Third National Action Plan on the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security.

Representatives from key partner institutions expressed strong support. World Bank Regional Representative for Africa, Robert Chase, stated that investing in women “remains the most impactful investment any nation can make.” Uche Amaonwu of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation highlighted the broader benefits of women’s empowerment for family health and community safety.

Legislative support was affirmed by Senator Ireti Kingibe, representing the Senate President, who pledged the National Assembly’s continued efforts to pass laws that expand women’s access to governance and resources.

Demonstrating state-level commitment, the Deputy Governor of Katsina State, Faruk Jobe, announced that his state has earmarked ₦4 billion in its current budget to support the program’s implementation.

The expanded program will leverage the Happy Woman App Platform, a digital tool designed to connect women to financial services, skills training, markets, and government support. The pilot phase, implemented in six states, has already reached over one million beneficiaries.