Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has declared that investments for the empowerment of women remain a moral imperative that fosters shared economic growth and peace.
Governor Alia stated this during a high-level sideline event at the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, United States of America, where he represented the Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazak of Kwara State.
NewsQuest reports that back home in Benue, Governor Alia’s administration has implemented multiple initiatives to support women’s advancement, such as prioritizing women’s economic empowerment in the 2025 state budget through grants and soft loans, as well as targeted support for women in trade, agriculture, and small businesses.
Speaking, Governor Alia said that in Nigeria and around the world, when a woman thrives, the family, communities, and entire communities also thrive.
The Benue State Governor explained 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 community alike,” the Governor added.
Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman in her remarks at the event themed- ‘Scaling Women’s Economic Empowerment’ Financing: Inclusive Growth for Peace, Development, and Human Rights – Lessons from Nigeria for Women Project”, said that economic empowerment is being achieved through targeted projects, initiatives, and programmes.
The Minister noted that other interventions and initiatives of the President Bola Tinubu’s government are focused on women including the Nigeria for Women Project, ((NFWP), which is being utilized as a vehicle for empowerment.
According to her, NFWP, under the leadership of President Tinubu, is currently, 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 over 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,” the Minister said.
The Minister said after the successful pilot launch in six states, the ministry had scaled up and opened up to all states.
“It is critical to highlight, that while this model borrows from the most successful global experiences, we have wholly adapted it to Nigerian realities.
“The Women Affinity Groups that are created under the programme have become platforms of voice, social capital, and economic agency.
“They are changing the texture of communities, lowering household vulnerability, and strengthening our democracy from below, ” she said.
