The TOS Foundation Africa has entered into a strategic partnership with the Nigeria Governors’ Spouses’ Forum (NGSF) to scale women’s economic empowerment initiatives, strengthen primary healthcare delivery, and improve child survival outcomes across Nigeria’s 36 states.
The partnership, announced in Abuja on Monday, will drive coordinated, state-led interventions aimed at improving women’s livelihoods and household resilience, with a particular focus on underserved and vulnerable communities.
At the heart of the collaboration is the expansion of TOS Foundation Africa’s Women and Girls Empowerment (WAGE) and Capacity Building Incubator (CBI) framework, which combines economic empowerment with health system strengthening to address the interconnected challenges facing women and children.
Originally launched in 2020—when the organisation operated as The Osasu Show Foundation—the WAGE and CBI framework was introduced amid growing national concern over persistent gender inequities.
The initiative was unveiled at a high-level press conference attended by key actors in government, civil society, and the development sector, including the then Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Kedem Tallen, and Amnesty International Nigeria’s Country Director, Osai Ojigho. It was supported by a ₦2.5 billion catalytic fund.
The framework was conceived as a practical, systems-based approach to move resources closer to communities, strengthen existing institutions, and equip women with sustainable economic opportunities.
It also recognises the strong link between women’s economic security, household stability, and improved child survival outcomes.
The new alliance with the Nigeria Governors’ Spouses’ Forum marks a significant scale-up of the initiative.
Led by its Chairperson, Her Excellency, Amb. Prof. (Mrs.) Olufolake AbdulRazaq, the Forum brings together the spouses of state governors and plays a unique role within Nigeria’s governance structure, combining access to subnational leadership with deep community-level engagement, particularly among women and families.
Under the partnership, TOS Foundation Africa’s programme design, technical expertise, and monitoring systems will be aligned with the Forum’s convening power and state-level reach.
The goal, according to both parties, is to ensure stronger state ownership, sustainability, and alignment with national development priorities.
Key areas of focus include strengthening Primary Health Centres (PHCs) to improve infant survival, expanding women’s economic empowerment pathways, and supporting context-specific, measurable, and scalable implementation models across states.
Speaking on the collaboration, Founder of TOS Foundation Africa, Chief (Mrs.) Osasu Igbinedion Ogwuche, said addressing women’s economic security and child survival must be treated as interlinked priorities.
“Improving child survival and women’s livelihoods requires more than isolated programmes. It requires systems that recognise how closely a mother’s economic stability is tied to a child’s chance at survival,” she said.
“When women have the tools to earn, access quality care, and make informed choices, families become healthier and communities grow stronger.”
She added that working with the Nigeria Governors’ Spouses’ Forum would help strengthen existing state systems and translate national priorities into measurable community-level impact.
The partnership is expected to accelerate the nationwide rollout of the WAGE and CBI framework, reinforcing TOS Foundation Africa’s broader mission of promoting inclusive governance, social equity, and sustainable development across Nigeria.
