The Federal Government has launched a new digital platform aimed at expanding women’s economic inclusion across Nigeria.
According to a statement from the Presidency, the platform, known as the Happy Woman App, is a secure digital interface designed to connect Nigerian women to finance, skills development opportunities, markets, essential services and government support.
The launch coincided with President Bola Tinubu’s announcement of a major expansion of the Nigeria for Women Programme (NFWP), which now targets 25 million beneficiaries nationwide.
The expanded programme builds on a pilot phase implemented in six states, where more than one million women were reached through livelihood support and capacity-building initiatives.
Speaking at the presidential launch of the programme scale-up at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, President Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said Nigeria’s development goals could not be achieved without placing women at the centre of national planning.
“A nation that relegates its women is a nation bound for implosion. We have long understood this truth,” the President said. “That is why this administration has not only placed women at the forefront of decision-making but has also entrusted them with leadership in causes that redeem our national promise.”
He noted that beyond their economic roles, women are central to family stability, community resilience and national productivity.
President Tinubu described the plan to reach 25 million women as ambitious but achievable, and called on the World Bank to strengthen its financing, technical support and innovation partnerships to support the nationwide scale-up of the programme.
He also highlighted the importance of technology in driving inclusion, stating that digital inclusion has become essential for effective service delivery and national competitiveness.
As part of the administration’s broader social agenda, the President designated 2026 as the Year of Social Development and Families in Nigeria, directing coordinated action across federal, state and local governments to strengthen social welfare systems.
The declaration follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed during President Tinubu’s official visit to Turkey in January, aimed at promoting family cohesion and improving social development frameworks in Nigeria.
In a related development, the Federal Government recalled that in 2024 it appealed to the World Bank to extend the deadline of the $100 million Nigeria for Women Project.
The request sought to shift the project’s deadline from March 29, 2024, to June 30, 2024, to allow for the completion of livelihood activities and the disbursement of unutilised funds under the livelihoods component.
The Nigeria for Women Programme, approved in June 2018 through a $100 million International Development Association credit, was designed to improve women’s livelihoods by supporting their participation in sustainable economic activities and business ventures.
The programme is structured around four core components: building social capital through Women Affinity Groups, supporting livelihoods through grants and business resources, fostering innovation and partnerships, and ensuring effective project management, monitoring and evaluation.
Officials say the launch of the Happy Woman App is expected to further strengthen the programme’s impact by providing women with easier access to opportunities, services and support nationwide.
