Ahead of the launch of Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) programme in January 2025, the Lagos State Government, under the Ministry of Women Affairs & Poverty Alleviation (MWAPA), has reiterated its dedication to formulating tailored policies as it unveiled a partnership with the Policy Innovation Centre (PIC), Albright Stonebridge Group (ASG), and Office of Sustainable Development Goals (OSDG) at a formal inaugural meeting on the localisation of the WEE policy held in Lagos during the week.

Key stakeholders in the state along with representatives from the PIC and Albright Stonebridge Group (ASG) engaged in a collaborative session to devise a comprehensive policy framework aimed at alleviating any obstacles women may encounter when conducting business in the state.

Highlighting the importance of the collaboration, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State, Ministry of Women Affairs & Poverty Alleviation (MWAPA), Oluyemi Kalesanwo, said collective efforts from critical stakeholders will enable the state develop a comprehensive programme that focuses on skill development, entrepreneurship, access to funding and other vital areas.
She said the state government is committed to empowering and fostering economic independence of women, noting that when women thrive, society also thrives.

Also speaking on the initiative, Gender Inclusion Lead at PIC, Adekemi Omole, said their contribution to the implementation of the WEE programme is focused mainly on providing technical support alongside ASG for the domestication of the WEE initiative, adding that they have also launched the WEE action policy team for the state.

Omole noted that to achieve the aim of the programme, the agencies have included additional 10 ministries to participate in the co-creation where there would be wide stakeholders’ engagement, billed to commence at a later date at the end of the year.