Mirian Gom 
President, Bola Tinubu
ABUJA, Nigeria – President Bola Tinubu expands the Nigeria for Women Programme to target 25 million beneficiaries nationwide, reinforcing his administration’s push for women-led economic growth and social development.
Speaking at the programme’s national scale-up launch at the Presidential Villa on Thursday, Tinubu—represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima—says sustainable development is impossible without placing women at the centre of national planning.
“A nation that sidelines its women is a nation heading for implosion,” the President says, describing women as drivers of economic resilience and democratic stability.
Tinubu calls on the World Bank to deepen financing, technical assistance and innovation partnerships to support the expanded programme, while emphasising that digital inclusion is now essential to service delivery and competitiveness.
The President also declares 2026 as Nigeria’s Year of Social Development and Families, directing all levels of government to coordinate policies that strengthen family cohesion and social welfare systems.
Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development Imaan Sulaiman describes the programme scale-up as one of the most ambitious social empowerment initiatives in Nigeria’s history.
“Women are no longer peripheral beneficiaries. They are central to national transformation,” she says.
She notes that the programme’s first phase successfully addressed harmful social norms and improved women’s socio-economic resilience.
World Bank Regional Representative Robert Chase says investing in women delivers the highest development returns, while Uche Amaonwu of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation links women’s empowerment to improved health and community security.
State governors and lawmakers pledge support, with Senator Ireti Kingibe describing the scale-up as proof of federal commitment to women’s needs.
About the Author
Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
Koko Maxwella 