By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta

Ogun State has emerged as a national reference point in grassroots women empowerment following the successful formation of 1,613 Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) under the Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up (NFWP-SU).

The achievement has attracted the attention of nine states whose officials are currently on a study visit to the state to understudy its implementation framework and best practices in women-focused development initiatives.

Speaking at the Implementation Support Mission for Southern States held in Abeokuta, the State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Motunrayo Adijat Adeleye, attributed the milestone to the sustained commitment of the State government under Governor Dapo Abiodun, as well as the broad acceptance of the project by community leaders, traditional rulers and market associations.

According to Adeleye, Women Affinity Groups form the backbone of the NFWP-SU, serving as the primary platform for mobilising and empowering women at the grassroots.

She explained that the groups foster collective savings, peer learning, accountability and access to financial literacy, business support and livelihood opportunities.

“By strengthening social capital and giving women a collective voice, affinity groups ensure effective programme delivery, ownership and the long-term impact of NFWP-SU interventions within implementing local government areas,” she said.

The commissioner noted that although the Nigeria for Women Project commenced in 2018, the current administration not only sustained the initiative, but significantly strengthened it through the scale-up phase.

She described Governor Abiodun’s approach as a practical demonstration of the “He for She” principle, adding that his support for women empowerment has been evident through concrete policy actions and institutional backing.

Adeleye disclosed that Ogun 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 the figure now standing at 1,613 and approaching 1,700.

“Our feat reflects both effective programme execution and the growing confidence of women across communities in the initiative,” she said, commending the Ogun NFWP-SU team led by the State Project Coordinator, Mrs. Bolanle Fadairo, for its dedication and professionalism from the pilot phase through the scale-up stage.

She added that the willingness of women to form additional groups beyond prescribed limits underscored their strong belief in the project’s impact, noting that the state was already reaping the developmental benefits of empowering women at scale.

In her remarks, Mrs. Fadairo said the engagement provided an opportunity for active interaction with delegations from the Federal Government and Ekiti, Abia, Kwara, Kogi, Delta, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Anambra and Ondo states.

She disclosed that the scale-up phase of the project, which commenced in September 2025, has so far recorded 1,613 Women Affinity Groups across the state.

Fadairo expressed confidence that the study visit would further strengthen project implementation, enable the team to exceed partners’ expectations and promote a more responsive and sustainable women empowerment model nationwide.