Ogun State has earned high praise from the World Bank for its outstanding performance in women empowerment and the effective delivery of the Nigeria for Women Project (NFWP), following an assessment visit by a high-level delegation of the Bank.
The delegation, led by the World Bank Vice President for Operations Policy and Country Services (OPCS), Ms. Gallina Andronova Vicelette, included the Country Director, Mr. Mathew Verghis, and the Task Team Leader of the Nigeria for Women Project, Mr. Michael Ilesanmi. The team visited selected project sites across the state to evaluate the impact of the NFWP Scale-Up initiative and engage directly with beneficiaries.
During the visit, the delegation interacted with Women Affinity Groups, including members of the Odeda Tailoring Collective in Odeda Local Government Area. They observed group operational procedures such as savings contributions, loan applications, and repayments, and discussed how these groups serve as platforms for last-mile service delivery.
The team also witnessed the adire-making process and the use of shared tailoring equipment provided to beneficiaries, alongside officials of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, led by Commissioner Hon. Adijat Adeleye, and her counterpart from the Ministry of Health, Dr. Tomi Coker.
Describing the programme as highly transformational, Mr. Ilesanmi said, “This flagship programme empowers women through two key approaches, access to finance and access to markets, while also investing in changing the social norms that prevent women and girls from achieving their full potential. The women are clearly happy, their stories are amazing, and the impact goes beyond them to their households. As women’s livelihoods improve, households are transformed, incomes increase, and joint decision-making becomes stronger.”
He added that Ogun remains the flagship state for the project, with 3,600 Women Affinity Groups involving about 60,000 women in the first phase, and an additional 40,000 women reached under the scale-up phase. Projections indicate that between 200,000 and 300,000 women would be directly empowered in the state within the next 18 months, with strong government ownership demonstrated through significant counterpart funding.
Commissioner Adeleye described Ogun as a state of great minds with a consistent record of excellence across sectors. She emphasized that the administration remains committed to empowering women at both grassroots and middle-class levels, promising even greater achievements in the future.
Mrs. Bolanle Fadairo, State Project Coordinator, NFWP Scale-Up, said the visit was aimed at a firsthand assessment of project sites and beneficiary engagement, noting that the interaction would help the Bank identify best practices to enhance performance in other participating states.
Earlier, Mrs. Mariam Bolatito Okunoye, Chairperson of the Ifesowapo Odeda Fashion Designer Collective, shared testimonies of how the programme has transformed their businesses. She explained that modern electric fashion equipment, including stoning machines, industrial sewing tools, button tackers, and monogramming machines, have significantly improved productivity. She urged women to take advantage of the programme, noting that it is free, inclusive, non-political, and genuinely focused on economic empowerment.
If you want, I can also create a shorter, punchy version suitable for print front-page publication without losing the impact. Do you want me to do that?
