Women Empowerment: Ogun Creates 1,613 Affinity Groups

James Sowole in Abeokuta

Ogun State has recorded a significant milestone in women empowerment with the formation of 1,613 Women Affinity Groups under the Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up (NFWP-SU), emerging as a national reference point for inclusive grassroots development.

Sequel to the achievement of the Ogun State, delegation of nine other states of the federation, are currently on a study visit to the state to understudy its implementation model.

The State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Motunrayo Adijat Adeleye, disclosed this while addressing a delegation of officials from the visiting states at the

Implementation support mission for Southern States held in Abeokuta.

The commissioner attributed the success to the sustained commitment of the State Government under the leadership of Governor Dapo Abiodun, likewise the wide acceptability of the project’s vision majorly by the community leaders, traditional rulers and market groups in addition to the ingenuity of the project team through strategic planning.

She said, “Women Affinity Groups are the backbone of the Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up Project (NFWP-SU) because they provide the primary platform through which women are mobilised, empowered, and reached at the grassroots.

“They foster trust, collective savings, peer learning, and accountability, enabling women to access financial literacy, business support, and livelihood opportunities in an inclusive and sustainable way.

“By strengthening social capital and giving women a collective voice, affinity groups ensure effective programme delivery, ownership, and long-term impact of NFWP-SU interventions within implementing Local Government Areas”.

She noted the present administration has consistently demonstrated strong belief in women’s capacity to contribute meaningfully to economic and social development, providing the policy support and institutional backing required for women-focused interventions to thrive.

According to the Commissioner, “although the Nigeria for Women Project commenced in 2018, the present administration not only sustained the initiative but strengthened it through the Scale-Up phase.

“I am glad to always describe the Governor’s approach as a practical demonstration of the “He for She” principle. His support for women empowerment has been evident through concrete actions rather than mere declarations”.

She disclosed the state has exceeded benchmarks at the Scale-Up stage, becoming the only participating state to surpass the formation of 1,000 Women Affinity Groups, with figures now approaching 1,700.

“Our feat in Ogun NFWP-SU reflects both effective programme execution and the growing confidence of women across communities in the initiative, so I commended the Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up team in Ogun State, led by the State Project Coordinator, Mrs. Bolanle Fadairo, for their dedication and professionalism.

“It explained that the team’s efforts from the pilot phase through scale-up have been central to mobilising women, strengthening group cohesion, and sustaining grassroots engagement”, the commissioner remarked.

She added the willingness of women to form additional groups beyond prescribed limits underscores their strong buy-in and belief in the project’s impact.

The Commissioner explained that the experience in the State reinforced the principle that investing in women translates into broader societal progress, noting that the State was already witnessing the developmental dividends of empowering women at scale.

In her remarks, the State Project Coordinator, Mrs. Fadairo Bolanle noted that the engagement with the states was a moment of active interaction for the project team with delegation of officials from the Federal Government, Ekiti, Abia, Kwara, Kogi, Delta, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Anambra and Ondo States, adding that the project has recorded a total of 1,613 WAG for the Scale-Up Project which commenced in September 2025.

Fadairo noted that the understudy mission would further make the project team gear up its activities, with a view to further surpassing the expectations of the implementing partners while ensuring a more responsive women empowerment model.