President Bola Tinubu has approved the expansion of the Nigeria for Women Programme, setting a target of reaching 25 million women across the country.
The President reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to women’s economic inclusion and national development on Thursday at the Presidential Launch of the Programme Scale-Up held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He was represented at the event by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Tinubu said Nigeria’s quest for sustainable growth would remain elusive unless women are placed at the centre of national planning and development.
“A nation that sidelines its women is a nation heading for implosion. We have long understood this reality,” he said. “That is why this administration has not only elevated women in decision-making but has also entrusted them with leadership in initiatives that redeem our national promise.”
He described the scale-up as evidence of that commitment and announced an ambitious but attainable goal to reach 25 million Nigerian women through the programme. The President also urged the World Bank to deepen its financial, technical and innovation support for the nationwide expansion.
Tinubu further stressed the importance of technology, noting that digital inclusion had become essential for effective service delivery and national competitiveness.
As part of broader social reforms, the President designated 2026 as the “Year of Social Development and Families in Nigeria,” directing coordinated action across federal, state and local governments. The declaration followed a Memorandum of Understanding signed during his official visit to Turkey in January, aimed at strengthening family cohesion and social welfare systems.
He commended the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development for integrating technology into policy implementation and reorganising social development into a more coherent framework since the launch of the Renewed Hope Social Impact Intervention in Lafia last year.
Tinubu also praised state governors and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum for aligning with the Federal Government’s vision, saying national transformation succeeds when all levels of government work with shared purpose.
Earlier, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman, said the programme’s expansion reflected a shift in governance under Tinubu, with women now recognised as central drivers of economic growth, social cohesion and democratic stability.
She described the Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up as one of the most ambitious social and economic empowerment initiatives in the country’s history, noting that the first phase successfully addressed harmful social norms and strengthened women’s socio-economic resilience.
Sulaiman also announced the launch of Nigeria’s Third National Action Plan on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, placing Nigeria among a select group of countries to achieve the milestone.
The World Bank’s Regional Representative for Africa, Robert Chase, said the project was designed to place women at the heart of development, adding that investing in women remains the most impactful investment any nation can make.
Similarly, the Director of the Nigeria Country Office of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Uche Amaonwu, said empowering women leads to healthier families and safer communities, significantly reducing disease and insecurity at the household level.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, pledged his ministry’s readiness to collaborate on initiatives aimed at empowering women nationwide.
Representing the Senate President, Senator Ireti Kingibe said the scale-up underscored the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing women’s needs, assuring that the National Assembly would continue to pass laws to expand women’s access to governance and economic resources.
Delivering the goodwill message of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Deputy Governor of Katsina State, Faruk Jobe, reaffirmed states’ commitment to providing counterpart funding for women-focused projects, disclosing that Katsina State had earmarked N4bn in its current budget for the initiative.
Tinubu noted that although women are central to Nigeria’s development story, they also remain vital to family stability, community resilience and national productivity.
The programme’s pilot phase in six states has already reached more than one million beneficiaries. The scale-up will introduce the Happy Woman App Platform, a secure digital interface designed to connect women to finance, skills, markets, essential services and government support.
