The Federal Government has empowered more than 162,445 women through the Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up (NFWP-SU), with over 6,900 Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) established nationwide.
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, disclosed this during an inspection of NFWP-SU interventions in Zing Local Government Area of Taraba State, where she interacted with beneficiaries and assessed the impact of the programme at the grassroots.
The Minister said the field visit was part of the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring that investments under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda translate into measurable improvements in the lives of women.
“This visit is about seeing the impact on the ground, listening to our women and ensuring that the resources of the Federal Government are reaching the people they are intended to serve,” she said.
According to her, the programme has so far disbursed ₦3.548 billion in livelihood grants, while participating women have mobilised more than ₦2.388 billion in savings through their groups.
She attributed the progress to the organisation of women into WAGs, access to livelihood financing, capacity building and linkages to sustainable economic opportunities.
The Minister also disclosed that 40 processing centres had been established across three Local Government Areas in Taraba State, comprising 26 groundnut, 13 rice and one oil-palm processing centres.
She described the facilities as critical platforms for moving women beyond subsistence production into value addition, commercial agriculture and competitive markets.
“These processing hubs are not just buildings or machines; they represent economic opportunities. They provide the pathway for our women to move from primary production to value addition, create jobs, increase productivity and strengthen Nigeria’s food and agricultural value chains,” she stated.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim said 85,842 women were empowered during the pilot phase of the Nigeria for Women Project, exceeding the original target of 54,000, while the Scale-Up component had mobilised an additional 76,603 women.
She noted that the programme had established 3,604 WAGs during the pilot phase and another 3,296 under the Scale-Up, bringing the total number of groups to more than 6,900.
The Minister urged beneficiaries to maintain proper financial records, transparency and accountability in managing their grants and collective assets, stressing that sound financial management would position them to attract larger investments and access commercial markets.
She also highlighted the programme’s climate-smart component, noting that 170 women master trainers had been trained in briquette production and were transferring the knowledge to other WAG members.
According to her, the initiative would enable women to participate in green enterprises while supporting environmental sustainability and cleaner energy solutions.
Beyond economic empowerment, the Minister said the programme was delivering social benefits, including the enrolment of 2,500 women in the Taraba State Contributory Health Insurance Scheme.
She also commended beneficiaries who had used their social emergency funds to address community needs, including providing hospital beds and clean water facilities.
“The strength of NFWP-SU is that it goes beyond giving women money. It builds financial discipline, enterprise capacity, digital skills, social protection and community resilience,” she said.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim called on the Taraba State Government, private-sector investors and financial institutions to strengthen partnerships around the 40 processing hubs and other women-led enterprises.
She said such partnerships would expand market access, create jobs, strengthen food security and unlock greater economic opportunities for rural women.
The Minister further encouraged existing WAG members to mentor women in newly incorporated Local Government Areas, sustain regular savings, embrace digital literacy and transition into structured Livelihood Collectives capable of accessing larger grants and commercial markets.
She reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to inclusive development, saying women at the grassroots remained critical drivers of economic growth and social transformation.
“We will leave no woman behind. Our commitment is to ensure that every woman, regardless of where she lives, has an opportunity to participate meaningfully in the economy,” she affirmed.
Earlier, the Taraba State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Child Development, Mrs. Mary Sinjen, who represented Governor Agbu Kefas, appreciated the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development for prioritising the state in its assessment visit.
Sinjen said Taraba was aligned with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly its focus on women’s economic empowerment as a catalyst for peace, prosperity and sustainable development.
She described NFWP-SU as a major catalyst for transforming rural women from subsistence-level operators into viable commercial agricultural entrepreneurs.
“The transition into the Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up has breathed new life into our local communities, moving our women from basic subsistence livelihoods into viable, commercial-scale agricultural business owners,” she said.
The Commissioner commended women in Zing and other participating communities for their resilience and commitment to the programme, assuring the Federal Government of the state’s continued partnership.
The Minister’s visit featured interactions with beneficiaries, inspection of livelihood and processing activities, engagements with community stakeholders and an assessment of NFWP-SU interventions.
The visit reinforced the Federal Government’s resolve to expand women’s access to finance, markets and social protection while building resilient communities in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
