By Our Correspondent
The Ogun State Government has announced that it is set to transform its popular women empowerment scheme, ‘Oko’wo Dapo’, into a permanent State-backed Women’s Trust Fund.
The State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Motunrayo Adijat Adeleye, made this known today in Ijebu-Ode during the official flag-off ceremony of the scale-up phase of the Nigeria for Women Project (NFWP).
According to the Commissioner, this move is designed to ensure that women’s empowerment programmes in the state continue uninterrupted, regardless of changes in political leadership. She stated that the institutionalisation of the scheme will guarantee its continuity, sustainability, and transparency.
The ‘Oko’wo Dapo’ initiative was initially launched following the success of the first phase of the NFWP in four pilot local government areas: Ijebu North-East, Odeda, Yewa North, and Ikenne.
Hon. Adeleye revealed that the initial phase recorded significant success, leading to the formation of 3,792 Women Affinity Groups and the establishment of 61 Livelihood Collectives, which have become hubs for savings, skill acquisition, and business innovation.
The new scale-up phase, which was flagged off at the Awujale’s Palace, is targeting an additional 25,000 women beneficiaries in Ijebu-Ode Local Government alone. The Commissioner encouraged female traders, artisans, and professionals aged 18 and above to enrol in the programme.
In his remarks, the State Commissioner for Finance and Chief Economic Adviser, Mr Dapo Okubadejo, emphasised that empowering women is a core focus of the Governor Dapo Abiodun-led administration.
He stated that the scale-up phase aims to reach a total of 105,000 women across the four implementing LGAs, who will be trained in financial education, business skills, and other life-enhancing programmes.
The event also featured commendations from the World Bank’s representative, Michael Ilesanmi, who praised Ogun State as a top performer in the first phase of the project, noting that 16 other states have visited for peer-learning.
The state government says this policy shift is a strategic step to firmly position Ogun as a national leader in women-centred economic development.
