The Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up (NFWP-SU) in Ogun State has established 2,000 Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) to provide women with access to finance, skills, and social capital in order to improve their living conditions and livelihoods.

The State’s Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Adijat Adeleye, said at the kickoff of the project that the women’s groups were not formed for political purposes but gathered to learn financial literacy, entrepreneurship, savings and investment, and connect economically.

However, the Project Coordinator, Mrs Bolanle Fadairo, described the achievement as showcased by a national platform — Project Management Information System (PMIS) — as a motivation to empower women, saying that with the groups’ formation, a strong economic network would be created among women in the state to improve their livelihoods.

Fadairo said that with the huge numbers achieved within six weeks, the development was a clear demonstration of the strong institutional readiness of the state towards its unwavering commitment to women’s empowerment under the Scale-Up phase of the project.

“The feat reflects the visionary leadership and unwavering support of the present administration, as well as the political will of key stakeholders involved in the project.”

She commended the strategic collaboration of the Ministries of Finance, Women Affairs and Social Development, Budget and Planning, alongside the dedication of the State Project Coordinating Unit (SPCU).

While providing a breakdown of the WAGs formation across the four implementing Local Government Areas, the Project Coordinator revealed that “Ijebu-Ode recorded 760 groups, accounting for 38% of the total, while Ifo Local Government recorded 569 groups, representing 28.45%.”

She noted that Sagamu Local Government formed 378 WAGs, amounting to 18.9%, while Ado-Odo/Ota recorded 293 groups, representing 14.64%, stressing that the spread reflects effective community mobilisation and grassroots engagement across the project areas.

Fadairo, however, reaffirmed the state’s resolve to sustain the momentum, deepen impact, and consolidate gains under the NFWP-SU, to position the state as a reference point for effective implementation and inclusive women-focused development nationwide.