The Ogun State Government has announced plans to institutionalise its Women Empowerment Scheme, known as Oko’wo Dapo, by transforming it into a state-backed Women’s Trust Fund aimed at strengthening long-term economic empowerment for women across the state.
The initiative was unveiled during the launch of the Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up (NFWP-SU) held at Awujale’s Palace in Ijebu-Ode. The NFWP-SU, a Federal Government-led programme, is designed to empower 105,000 women across four implementing local government areas.
Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Motunrayo Adeleye, said institutionalising Oko’wo Dapo would ensure sustainability, continuity and transparency, enabling women-focused programmes to thrive beyond political cycles. She described the initiative as a strategic policy shift that will expand access to resources and livelihood opportunities for women statewide.
Adeleye noted that the success of the first phase of the NFWP implemented in Ijebu North-East, Odeda, Yewa North and Ikenne motivated the state to consolidate efforts. She revealed that 3,792 Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) and 61 Livelihood Collectives or hubs had been established across the four councils. According to her, these hubs have evolved into centres for innovation, savings, skills development and intergenerational learning, proving the impact of structured, community-driven empowerment models.
The Scale-Up phase aims to enrol at least 25,000 women in Ijebu-Ode alone, with Adeleye encouraging traders, artisans, entrepreneurs, professionals and women aged 18 and above to join. She said facilitators were carefully selected from local communities to ensure accessibility, proper guidance and strong community ownership.
The commissioner commended Governor Dapo Abiodun for providing the political leadership that enabled the expansion of the scheme, and praised the Multisectoral Coordination Structure chaired by Commissioner for Finance and Chief Economic Adviser, Dapo Okubadejo, for its oversight during both phases.
Adeleye added that institutionalising Oko’wo Dapo alongside the NFWP-SU positions Ogun State as a national model for women-centred development, helping sustain socio-economic gains and promoting inclusion across multiple sectors.
Speaking at the event, Okubadejo said the project’s objectives align with the government’s vision for inclusive and sustainable development. “A society that invests in women invests in sustainable development, stronger households and inclusive growth,” he said. He emphasized that Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) remains a core pillar of the administration’s agenda.
He affirmed the state’s readiness to transform Oko’wo Dapo into a full Women’s Trust Fund and highlighted that 420 ward facilitators would guide the formation of 10 Women Affinity Groups each, with 25 members per group. This structure will support the empowerment of 105,000 women across the four implementing councils.
According to Okubadejo, beneficiaries will receive training in financial education, business skills, grievance redress mechanisms, and life skills to improve their entrepreneurial capacity and contribution to the state’s Gross Domestic Product.
Senior Social Development Specialist and Task-Team Leader for the Scale-Up Project, Micheal Ilesanmi, praised the state’s performance in the first phase, noting that the World Bank had recognized Ogun as a leading state attracting 16 other states for peer-learning and capacity-building.
He also commended the governor and commissioners involved for providing strong oversight throughout the project’s implementation and expressed confidence that the state would surpass its targets in the Scale-Up phase.
