Ogun State has been rated highly by the World Bank for its outstanding performance recorded in women empowerment and effective implementation of the Nigeria for Women Project (NFWP), following an assessment visit by a high-powered delegation of the Bank to the State.
The delegation, led by the World Bank Vice President for Operations Policy and Country Services (OPCS), Ms. Gallina Vicelette, alongside the Country Director, Mr. Mathew Verghis, and the Task Team Leader of the Nigeria for Women Project, Mr. Michael Ilesanmi, visited selected project sites in the state to evaluate the impact of the NFWP Scale-Up initiative and interact directly with beneficiaries.
During the visit, the delegation engaged in a one-on-one interactive session with Women Affinity Groups, including members of the Odeda Tailoring Collective in Odeda Local Government Area, while observing group operational procedures such as savings contributions, loan applications and repayments, and discussed how the groups served as platforms for last-mile service delivery.
In his remarks, Mr. Michael Ilesanmi described the programme as highly impressive and transformational.
He 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. We heard testimonies from their partners, faith leaders, and community leaders who are all excited about the programme.
“As women’s livelihoods improve, households are transformed, incomes increase, and joint decision-making becomes stronger.”
He further noted that the State remained the flagship state for the project, having recorded 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.
According to him, projections indicated that between 200,000 and 300,000 women would be directly empowered in Ogun State within the next 18 months, adding that the state government has demonstrated strong ownership through the release of significant counterpart funding.
In her remarks, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Adijat Adeleye, described the state as a state of great minds with a consistent record of excellence across sectors.
She said the state approaches governance with passion, intentionality, and deliberate delivery, stressing that the administration remains committed to empowering women at the grassroots and middle-class levels, while assuring that even greater achievements should be expected.
Also, the State Project Coordinator, Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up (NFWP-SU), Mrs. Bolanle Fadairo, said the visit by the World Bank leadership was aimed at firsthand assessment of project sites and beneficiary engagement.
Earlier, the Chairperson of the Ifesowapo Odeda Fashion Designer Collective, Mrs. Mariam Bolatito Okunoye, shared testimonies of how the programme has transformed their businesses.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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