Leading civic-tech organisation in Nigeria, BudgIT, has urged subnational governments to go beyond ad hoc welfare gestures for women and establish systems that naturally support them to thrive among their equals in society.

The Global Director of BudgIT, Oluseun Onigbinde, made this call in Abuja during the launch of the report on The State of Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE), which assesses how all 36 states are supporting and uplifting women.

Onigbinde, who stressed the need for subnational governments to invest more in women-focused programmes, listed the areas of focus to include structured training, tax waivers and access to credible soft loans and grants, adding that the move will reduce inequality and create a stronger foundation for women to thrive.

“Women’s empowerment should go beyond ad hoc welfare gestures. There is need for systems that naturally support women, including structured training, tax waivers and access to credible soft loans and grants.

“The 2025 edition provides a comprehensive ranking and evaluation of states based on interventions and outcomes across 24 indicators aligned with the five core pillars of the National Women’s Economic Empowerment Policy.

“These pillars include Women in Agriculture, Women in Entrepreneurship, Women in the Traditional Labour Market, Women in Emerging Industries, and Women’s Education and Skills Acquisition.”

Also speaking, the wife of the Kwara State governor, Ambassador Olufolake Abdurazaque, noted that Nigeria cannot achieve sustainable growth, resilience or shared prosperity without unlocking the full economic potential of its women and girls.

According to Abdurazaque, evidence from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and global development institutions consistently highlights that increasing women’s economic participation directly contributes to household stability, higher Gross Domestic Product (GDP) output, improved child well-being, and stronger community systems.

“This is why the Nigerian Governor spouses forum, a collective platform of leadership and advocacy, continues to champion interventions that reduce structural barriers, strengthen women-led enterprises, expand access to finance and promote safe and productive environments for women and girls in every state.

“Our work on women’s economic empowerment is closely tied to our broader mandate of advancing the rights protection and well-being of women, youths and children.”

Noting that the strength of the document lies in its grounding in verifiable data, she urged states and national institutions to adopt it to accelerate progress at state level, adding, “At state level, champions, we recognise that credible data is indispensable for designing programmes that are equitable, inclusive and reflective of real community needs.

“The insights from this report will further inform our engagement with state government, development partners and private sector actors as we collectively work to close gender gaps across labour participation, enterprise growth, digital inclusion and access to enabling public services.”