President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared 2026 as the Year of Social Development and Families in Nigeria, calling for coordinated and sustained action across all tiers of government to strengthen family systems and advance 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 stressed that Nigeria’s aspiration for sustainable growth cannot be realised without placing women at the centre of national planning and policy implementation.
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.
He described women as the authors of Nigeria’s development story, noting their central role in family stability, community resilience and national productivity.
President Tinubu revealed that the Federal Government has set an ambitious target to reach 25 million Nigerian women through the programme and called on the World Bank to expand its financing, technical assistance and innovation partnerships to support the national scale-up.
He emphasised that digital inclusion is no longer optional but fundamental to effective service delivery and Nigeria’s global competitiveness.
Commending the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, the President praised its integration of technology into policy execution and the restructuring of social development frameworks since the launch of the Renewed Hope Social Impact Intervention in Lafia last year.
He also applauded state governors and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum for aligning Federal Government’s vision with state-level implementation, 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 shift under President Tinubu’s leadership, with women now recognised as central drivers of economic growth, social cohesion and democratic stability, rather than peripheral beneficiaries of development.
She described the NFWP-SU as one of the most ambitious and far-reaching social and economic empowerment initiatives in Nigeria’s history, adding that the first phase successfully addressed harmful social norms and strengthened women’s socio-economic resilience.
Beyond these outcomes, the Minister said the project had provided compelling evidence of the transformative impact of women’s empowerment on national developmentShe 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 attain the milestone.
World Bank Regional Representative for Africa, Mr Robert Chase, explained that the project was designed by the Bank’s Social Policy Department to place women at the heart of development, noting that investing in women remains the most impactful investment any nation can make.
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 and safer communities, adding that it significantly reduces 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 the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, said the scale-up of the Nigeria for Women Project reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing the needs of women.
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, who represented the Katsina State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, reaffirmed the commitment of state governments to providing counterpart funding for the effective implementation of women-focused initiatives.
He disclosed that Katsina State, one of the participating states, has earmarked ₦4 billion in its current budget to support the programme.
