By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Federal Government has empowered more than 162,445 women through the Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up, establishing over 6,900 Women Affinity Groups and disbursing N3.548 billion in livelihood grants as part of efforts to transform rural women into economically empowered entrepreneurs.
The disclosure was made by the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, during a field visit to inspect the implementation of the project in Zing Local Government Area of Taraba State on Wednesday, 12
August, 2026 where she interacted directly with beneficiaries and assessed the programme’s impact.
The Minister commended the Taraba State Government, the World Bank, the State Project Coordinating Unit, local government councils, traditional institutions and community leaders for their collaboration in advancing women’s economic empowerment, describing the visit as part of the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring that investments under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda translate into measurable improvements in the lives of women at the grassroots.
According to her, the achievements recorded under the Nigeria for Women Project and its Scale-Up component demonstrate the transformative power of organising women into Women Affinity Groups, providing them with financial resources, building their capacity and connecting them to sustainable economic opportunities. She disclosed that participating women had mobilised over N2.388 billion in savings alongside the disbursed grants.
The Minister 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 centre, describing the facilities as critical platforms for moving women from subsistence production to value addition, commercial agriculture and competitive markets.
She commended the women for their financial discipline, noting that livelihood grants ranging from N30,000 to N60,000 had been disbursed to thousands of beneficiaries, and urged them to maintain proper financial records, transparency and accountability in managing their grants and collective assets to enhance their ability to attract larger investments.
Highlighting the programme’s climate-smart component, the Minister commended 170 women master trainers who had been trained in briquette production and were cascading the knowledge to other members across the Women Affinity Groups, describing the initiative as an opportunity for women to participate in green enterprises while contributing to environmental sustainability.
The Minister disclosed that the NFWP-SU had recorded significant progress in grassroots mobilisation, with 3,604 Women Affinity Groups established during the pilot phase and an additional 3,296 groups established under the Scale-Up, bringing the total number of active groups to more than 6,900.
She noted that 85,842 women had been empowered during the pilot phase, exceeding the original target of 54,000, while the Scale-Up had mobilised 76,603 additional women through newly established groups.
Beyond economic empowerment, the Minister said the programme was delivering tangible social benefits, including the enrolment of 2,500 women into the Taraba State Contributory Health Insurance Scheme to access free healthcare.
She commended beneficiaries for deploying their social emergency funds to support community healthcare needs, including the provision of hospital beds and clean water facilities.
The Minister called on the Taraba State Government, private-sector investors and financial institutions to deepen partnerships around the 40 processing hubs and other women-led enterprises to expand market access, create jobs, strengthen food security and unlock greater economic opportunities.
She encouraged existing group members to mentor women in newly incorporated local government areas, maintain regular savings, embrace digital literacy and transition into structured Livelihood Collectives capable of accessing higher-level grants and commercial markets.
Reaffirming the ministry’s commitment to inclusive development, the Minister said the Federal Government would continue to prioritise women at the grassroots as key drivers of economic growth and social transformation, stressing that the initiative would ensure every woman, regardless of location, has the opportunity to participate meaningfully in the economy.
The field visit featured interactions with beneficiaries, inspection of livelihood and processing activities, engagement with community stakeholders and an assessment of the impact of NFWP-SU interventions at the grassroots, underscoring the Federal Government’s resolve to strengthen women’s economic inclusion, expand access to finance and markets, and build resilient communities in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Taraba State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Child Development, Mrs Mary Sinjen, who represented the Executive Governor of Taraba State, Dr Agbu Kefas, expressed appreciation to the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development for prioritising Taraba State in the assessment visit.
She said the state was fully 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, describing the NFWP-SU intervention as a major catalyst for transforming women from subsistence-level operators into viable commercial agricultural entrepreneurs.
The Commissioner noted that the 40 Livelihood Collectives in Taraba State demonstrated what could be achieved when rural women were trusted with resources, equipped with financial literacy and organised into effective affinity groups, commending the women of Zing and other participating communities for their resilience, hard work and commitment to the success of the programme, while assuring the Federal Government of the state’s continued partnership.
