By Joy Omagha Idam
IJEBU-ODE, OGUN STATE — A fresh push to strengthen women-led enterprises and expand economic opportunities at the grassroots has received a major boost in Ogun State with the flag-off of a ₦6 billion Community Investment Fund (CIF) for Women Affinity Groups (WAGs).
The initiative, implemented under the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up (NFWP-SU) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and the Ogun State Government, is designed to provide organised women’s groups with financial resources to expand businesses, strengthen collective enterprises and improve household livelihoods.
The flag-off, held in Ijebu-Ode on September 23, 2026, brought together government representatives and stakeholders involved in the women-focused intervention.
The programme comes against the backdrop of a significant network of women’s groups already established across Ogun State. According to programme figures, the state has 5,394 Women Affinity Groups with 127,105 members, spread across seven Local Government Areas and 3,489 communities.
The groups have also demonstrated substantial financial activity before the latest intervention, recording collective savings of ₦2.69 billion and disbursing more than ₦4 billion in loans among members.
As part of efforts to strengthen the implementation structure, the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development has trained 368 Ward Facilitators in Ogun State to support the programme at community level.
Representing the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, FSI, at the flag-off was the Chairman, Governing Council, Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development, alongside the Minister’s Special Assistant, Technical and Community Engagement, Princess Jummai Idonije.
In her message, the Minister commended the Ogun State Government for its continued engagement with initiatives aimed at improving the economic position of women.
She also recognised the efforts of the beneficiary groups, particularly their record of collective savings, mutual support and enterprise development, describing such organisation as an important foundation for sustainable economic participation.
The Minister said the Community Investment Fund reflects the Federal Government’s broader approach to ensuring that women participate actively in economic development rather than remaining at the receiving end of development interventions.
She linked the initiative to the people-centred objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly its emphasis on inclusive economic growth, social protection and opportunities for vulnerable and underserved Nigerians.
According to her, investment in women has implications beyond individual beneficiaries, as stronger women-led enterprises can contribute to household incomes, employment generation, local commerce and community resilience.
The Minister consequently urged beneficiary groups to approach the Fund with a strong sense of responsibility, stressing the importance of proper record-keeping, productive investment, accountability and sustainability.
She encouraged the women to deploy the resources towards expanding their businesses, improving productivity, increasing incomes and creating opportunities for others within their communities.
Beyond the immediate financial intervention, the Minister called for stronger linkages between the Women Affinity Groups and other productive opportunities available through Federal Government programmes.
These, she noted, include access to finance and markets, digital skills, agriculture and value chains, clean energy and enterprise development under the Renewed Hope Social Impact Interventions–774 (RH-SII 774).
The Federal Ministry also acknowledged the contribution of the Ogun State Government, the World Bank, the NFWP-SU Federal Project Coordinating Unit, community leaders, implementing partners and other stakeholders to the development of the programme.
The partnership, according to the Ministry, remains critical to ensuring that women in rural, low-income and underserved communities gain better access to productive resources, finance, skills, markets and other economic opportunities.
For Ogun State, the scale of the existing Women Affinity Groups provides an established grassroots structure through which the new funding intervention can reach a substantial number of women.
The latest development therefore represents more than the release of a financial facility; it also places renewed attention on the capacity of organised women’s groups to mobilise savings, access credit collectively and build enterprises capable of supporting families and communities.
The Federal Government and Ogun State Government have consequently reaffirmed their partnership in advancing women’s economic participation and deepening grassroots development through structured interventions.
With the flag-off of the ₦6 billion fund, attention now shifts to the implementation phase and the capacity of the beneficiary groups to translate the financial support into stronger enterprises, increased incomes and sustainable economic opportunities across the participating communities.