The federal government has activated the economic empowerment of no fewer than 10 million women to achieve its $1 trillion economy ambition.

The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, disclosed this at a high-level sideline event of the 2025 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, U.S.A

The event is themed, “Scaling Women’s Economic Empowerment: Financing Inclusive Growth for Peace, Development, and Human Rights – Lessons from Nigeria for Women Project.“

Vice President Kashim Shettima departed Abuja on Sunday for New York to represent President Bola Tinubu at the 80th session of the UNGA.

Speaking at the event, the minister said economic empowerment is achieved through targeted projects, initiatives, programmes, and interventions focused on women.

She said one of the key vehicles being utilised for empowerment is the Nigeria for Women Project (NFWP), which is the nation’s most significant women’s economic empowerment platform.

“In phase one, we mobilised over 460,000 women into Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) across multiple states.

“These groups have collectively saved an average of N4.9 billion of their own money and have inter-loaned significantly to expand businesses, cover health costs, and pay school fees.

”In addition, over 330,000 women have accessed livelihood grants, while thousands have been linked to formal financial institutions, national ID, and health insurance schemes,” she said.

The minister said after the successful pilot launch in six states, the ministry had scaled up and opened up to all states.

The minister told delegates and partners at the event that the ministry realised that “investing in women’s entrepreneurship will transform not just incomes but also nutrition, education, and community stability.”

She said that based on that understanding, the government consolidated its empowerment approach into a single delivery architecture that integrated agriculture, clean energy, logistics, digital access, and mobile services, amongst others.

“We call this the Renewed Hope Social Impact Interventions – 774 (RH-SII774). This programme is envisioned as a transformative, gender-responsive initiative that will directly impact over 50 million women, children, families, and vulnerable persons across all 774 local government areas of the federation,” the minister said.

The chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazak of Kwara State, said investments in women empowerment are a moral imperative and economic necessity for peace, prosperity and shared growth.

Mr Abdulrazak, represented by Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State, noted that the Nigeria for Women Programme (NFWP) is a powerful demonstration of what sustained, targeted financing could achieve.

”The programme is a collaboration among the federal government, state ministries, the World Bank and other partners. It began in six states, and it is now active in 15 states, with commitments from 32 states overall

”To date, more than 46,000 women have organised into 22,000 Women Affinity Groups,  saving over N4.4 billion and channelling these resources into small businesses that are transforming families and communities alike,” he said.

The Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory, Mariya Mahmoud, commended President Tinubu for his support and unwavering commitment to women’s Inclusivity and youth development in Nigeria.

Other dignitaries at the event included Plateau Governor Caleb Mutfwang, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa and the First Lady of Zamfara State, Huriyya Lawal

The Charge d’Affaires at the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations, Samson Itegboje, and Kabir Mato were also at the event.

Mr Tinubu’s administration has set a target for Nigeria to become a $1 1‑trillion economy by 2030.

(NAN)