Abuja — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared 2026 as Nigeria’s Year of Social Development and Families, calling for coordinated and sustained action across all tiers of government to strengthen family systems and promote inclusive national development.
The declaration was made on Thursday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, during the official launch of the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up Project (NFWP-SU).
Speaking through Vice President Kashim Shettima, President Tinubu said Nigeria’s quest for sustainable growth cannot be achieved without placing women at the centre of national planning and policy execution.
According to a statement signed by the Head of Press and Public Relations, Ahmed Lawan Danbazau, the declaration followed a Memorandum of Understanding signed during the President’s official visit to Turkey in January, aimed at strengthening family cohesion and enhancing social welfare systems.
“A nation that relegates its women is a nation bound for implosion. We have long understood this truth. 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,” the President said.
Tinubu described women as the architects of Nigeria’s development story, citing their central role in family stability, community resilience and national productivity.
He disclosed that the Federal Government has set a target of reaching 25 million Nigerian women through the programme and urged the World Bank to expand its financing, technical assistance and innovation partnerships to support the nationwide scale-up.
The President also stressed that digital inclusion is no longer optional, describing it as fundamental to effective service delivery and Nigeria’s global competitiveness.
Commending the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Tinubu praised its integration of technology into policy implementation and the restructuring of social development frameworks since the launch of the Renewed Hope Social Impact Intervention in Lafia last year.
He further applauded state governors and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum for aligning federal priorities with state-level execution, noting that “national transformation succeeds when all levels of government move with shared purpose.”
Earlier, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim, fsi, said the launch marked a major policy shift under the Tinubu administration, with women now recognised as central drivers of economic growth, social cohesion and democratic stability, rather than passive beneficiaries of development.
She described the NFWP-SU as one of the most ambitious social and economic empowerment initiatives in Nigeria’s history, adding that its first phase successfully addressed harmful social norms and strengthened women’s socio-economic resilience.
The Minister also announced the launch of Nigeria’s Third National Action Plan on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, placing Nigeria among a select group of countries globally to achieve the milestone.
Speaking at the event, the World Bank’s Regional Representative for Africa, Mr Robert Chase, said the programme was designed by the Bank’s Social Policy Department to place women at the heart of development, stressing that investment in women delivers the highest social returns.
Similarly, the Director of the Nigeria Country Office of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr Uche Amaonwu, said empowering women directly leads to healthier families, safer communities and reduced disease and insecurity at the household level.
In his remarks, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, expressed his ministry’s readiness to collaborate on initiatives aimed at empowering women nationwide.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, Senator Ireti Kingibe, who represented Senate President Godswill Akpabio, said the scale-up of the Nigeria for Women Project underscored the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing women’s needs. She assured that the National Assembly would continue to enact laws to expand women’s access to governance and economic opportunities.
Delivering a goodwill message, the Deputy Governor of Katsina State, Malam Faruk Lawal, representing the Katsina State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, reaffirmed the commitment of state governments to providing counterpart funding for women-focused initiatives.
He disclosed that Katsina State has earmarked ₦4 billion in its current budget to support the programme.
