Nigeria For Women Project (NFWP) has disbursed N1 billion grants to women in three targeted local government areas of Ijebu North East, Odeda and Yewa North in Ogun State, as part of its poverty alleviation scheme.
The coordinator of Ogun State chapter of NFWP, Mrs Bolanle Olatoni Fadairo, while lauding the successful implementation of the project in the state, said it has exceeded its set targets.
She said the state has exceeded the 54,000 targets of 18,000 women from each of the three chosen LGAs to 63,331 women beneficiaries.
NFWP is a five-year project of the federal government of Nigeria with support from the World Bank, aimed at supporting Nigerian government’s efforts of ensuring gender-equality and improving women’s economic well-being at individual, household level and the community at large.
According to the Ogun State coordinator, the project has disbursed N1 billion till date since the programme started in 2019, with establishment of 3000 women affinity groups.
She said an unnamed Microfinance bank was in talks with the WAGs, following their success in saving about N500 million prior to NFWP disbursed grants.
“It is a five – year project which we started in 2019 and will be over by May 2023 in Ogun state. We are expecting phase two of women project from the state government. From Nigeria for Women Project, women have grown economic independence and have started contributing to the household. Our women’s voices now count, in addition to their aspirations
“Presently, women can now budget for the future. They can now package their business well than the way it used to be. They now know the season to buy things based on the training of financial education they were given and can differentiate between what the money is meant for.
“Women can now access bigger market and if they can come together, they raise money and help one another. We are seeing our women now ready to lead through this training. They are now bold and in the next five years, some will say, I will open my own supermarket. They are now confident and we see a lot of difference in their thinking than the way we met them.”
Going by its success, the NFWP Ogun co-ordinator said the state governor Dapo Abiodun has also set up similar outfit, Okoowo Dapo For Women Project to replicate that of the NFWP as it winds up in March 2023.
Meanwhile, several beneficiaries of the programme have expressed gratitude to the state and federal government for their empowerment and improvement in livelihoods.
Mrs Kehinde Banjo, Secretary, WAG, Oke eri, Sembora Ward of Ijebu North East, said the programme has helped to shore up business of members of WAG who are mostly women.
She said it has inculcated savings culture in most of the members who could not access loans from Microfinance banks prior to joining WAG.
