Ogun State Government has announced plans to institutionalize the State Women Empowerment Scheme (Oko’wo Dapo) as a State-backed Women’s Trust Fund Policy, as part of efforts to further strengthen women’s economic empowerment across the State while complementing the gains of the Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up (NFWP-SU), a Federal Government-led women empowerment project aimed at empowering 105,000 women beneficiaries across the four implementing Local Government Areas.

The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Motunrayo Adijat Adeleye, stated this during the official flag-off of the NFWP Scale-Up phase, held in Awujale Interregnum, Awujale’s Palace Ijebu-Ode, explained that the institutionalization of Oko’wo Dapo would guarantee continuity, sustainability, and transparency for women-focused initiatives, ensuring that empowerment programmes remain active and impactful beyond political cycles. She described the new policy as a strategic step to expand access to opportunities and resources for women across the State.

Expressing that the earlier establishment of the State scheme was consequent upon the success recorded in the first phase of the NFWP held in the four pioneer LGAs, Ijebu North-East, Odeda, Yewa North, and Ikenne, the Commissioner revealed that 3,792 Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) and 61 Livelihood Collectives/Hubs had been established across the four local government areas. She stated that the hubs have evolved into thriving centers for innovation, savings, skills development, and intergenerational learning, demonstrating the transformative impact of structured, community-driven empowerment programmes.

The Commissioner, who announced that the Scale-Up phase targets the enrollment of no fewer than 25,000 women in Ijebu-Ode, encouraged traders, artisans, entrepreneurs, professionals, and women aged 18 and above to participate actively, noting that the facilitators for the programme were carefully selected from the local communities to ensure accessibility, proper guidance, and community ownership.

Adeleye also commended Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun, CON, for providing the political will and visionary leadership that has enabled the project’s expansion. She further praised the Multisectoral Coordination Structure, chaired by Hon. Dapo Okubadejo, for its strategic oversight, which she said has been critical to achieving the milestones of both the first phase and the Scale-Up initiative.

The Commissioner emphasized that the institutionalization of Oko’wo Dapo, together with the NFWP Scale-Up, positions Ogun State as a reference point for women-centered development initiatives nationwide. She described the move as key to sustaining socio-economic gains, expanding livelihood opportunities, and promoting inclusion for women across diverse sectors of the economy.

In his speech, the State Commissioner for Finance and Chief Economic Adviser, Dapo Okubadejo, who doubles as the Chairman of the Multisectoral Coordination Structure (MCS), posited that the Project Development Objective of the NFWP-SU aligned seamlessly with the present administration’s vision, noting that “a society that invests in women invests in sustainable development, stronger households, and inclusive growth. This administration has consistently prioritized Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) as a key pillar for removing the structural, social, and economic barriers that limit women from participating fully in economic activities.”

Commending the State Project Coordinator, Mrs Bolanle Fadairo, with affirmation of the readiness of the State Government to institutionalize Oko-Owo Dapo into a State-wide Women Trust Fund, the Commissioner added that the scale-up phase would deepen and expand the State’s capacity to reach more women, more households, and more communities. He added that the 420 Ward Facilitators serving as the primary foot soldiers of the project, would work towards the formation of ten (10) Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) which will comprise of Twenty-Five (25) WAG members per facilitator, resulting into a total of 105,000 empowered women beneficiaries across the four implementing LGAs.

“The 105,000 women beneficiaries will be exposed to series of training and retraining programme on Financial Education, Business Skill, GRM and Life Skills among others to enhance and influence entrepreneurial skill for improve women’s contribution to the State Gross Domestic Product. Equally educate them on how best to handle personal and business challenges of life”, Okubadejo stated.

In his remarks, the Senior Social Development Specialist and Task-Team Leader for the Scale-Up Project, Micheal Ilesanmi, appraised the performance of the State during the first phase of the project, noting that the State was designated by the World Bank as a leading State, resulting to about sixteen States approaching the State for peer-learning and capacity building of their respective project workforce.

He applauded Governor Abiodun, State Commissioners for Finance, Women Affairs and Social Development, affirming that they have provided strong guidance, coordination, and oversight throughout the lifecycle of the first project, expressing optimism that the State Government would surpass the set target in the scale-up phase.