• Nigeria launched a $540 million national program to strengthen the economic empowerment of 25 million women.

• The government expects the initiative to create about 4.5 million jobs across all 36 states and the federal capital.

• The program relies on Women Affinity Groups and counts the World Bank among its international partners.

The federal government launched the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up (NFWP-SU) on Thursday, February 5. The authorities allocated $540 million to the program to strengthen the economic autonomy of 25 million women nationwide. Local media reported that the government will deploy the initiative across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The program aims to integrate women into income-generating activities and formal economic circuits.

During the launch ceremony, Vice President Kashim Shettima stated that “women are essential drivers of productivity and prosperity.” He emphasized the program’s ambition, which targets the creation of around 4.5 million jobs. Moreover, the participation of international partners, including the World Bank, gives the project strategic weight and places it among the most structured economic empowerment initiatives in Nigeria and across Africa.

The government designed the program as an expansion of a pilot phase that authorities deemed successful. Consequently, the initiative aligns with Nigeria’s strategy to strengthen financial inclusion and stimulate female entrepreneurship. The program relies on Women Affinity Groups, which organize women around collective savings, access to credit, and entrepreneurial support. During the initial phase, these groups mobilized more than 26,500 groups and over 560,000 members. They generated cumulative savings worth several billion nairas and produced measurable improvements in household living conditions.

However, the initiative emerges against a backdrop of persistent disparities. Although women account for a significant share of Nigeria’s workforce, the World Bank’s Global Findex Database 2025 shows that only a minority of Nigerian women hold a formal bank account. The data also show that limited access to credit continues to constrain savings and productive investment.

Nevertheless, recent studies indicate that access to formal financial services significantly reduces poverty and strengthens economic resilience, particularly in female-headed households. Yet official data show that 70% of Nigerian women still live in extreme poverty. These women face restricted access to land ownership, education, and financial services, which underscores the scale of the structural challenges that the program seeks to address.

This article was initially published in French by Félicien Houindo Lokossou

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de BERRY QUENUM