Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda powers WEE policy midpoint wins

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda has fuelled the National Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy’s midpoint triumphs, transforming Nigerian women from the economic sidelines into national growth engines. The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, declared this on Thursday, 23 April 2026, during a high-level review in Abuja.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim credited Tinubu’s vision for concrete advances, stating: “Today, we gather where promise meets performance, where policy finds its purpose, and where the enduring strength of Nigerian women is met with the full weight of national resolve.”

Under Tinubu’s leadership, Africa’s first WEE Policy has been domesticated in Kaduna, Kano, Lagos, and Kwara, with over two-thirds of states now committed. “The WEE Policy has now been successfully domesticated in four states… which are setting the pace… Beyond these, multiple states are at varying stages of domestication, with over two-thirds of states expressing formal commitment,” she said, calling it “transformational” for federal service delivery.

President Tinubu boosted delivery via the Presidential High-Level Advisory Council on Support for Women and Girls, aligning public, private, and donor resources. The President declared 2026 the Year of Families and Social Development—“not incidental; it is deeply rooted in the fundamental principles of the WEE Policy,” Sulaiman-Ibrahim noted. Flagship Renewed Hope programmes driving inclusion include:

Procurement reforms under the Tinubu administration have also seen the approval of the Affirmative Procurement Policy with the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), opening vital economic doors for women-led businesses.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim addressed existing gaps, noting that while women form 70 per cent of farm labour, they manage just 21 per cent of plots and produce 30 per cent less due to structural barriers. Additionally, women own 40 per cent of MSMEs but receive under 15 per cent of available financing. She projected 2028 milestones, such as scaling agro-processing in Benue and driving digital adoption in Lagos.

The Nigeria for Women Program Scale-Up, backed by the World Bank, targets 4.5 million women through Women Affinity Groups for savings, finance, and skills. Furthermore, the DigitalHer initiative features the Happy Woman App, now available on Google Play for real-time support. “This midpoint is not a pause; it is a call to accelerate action,” she urged.

Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Doris Uzoka-Anite, positioned WEE as the administration’s economic cornerstone: “As the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, I view the National Women’s Economic Empowerment Policy not as a standalone social framework, but as a core pillar of Nigeria’s economic strategy.” She added that budget reforms will track gender impacts via refined Call Circulars and blended finance, asserting that “Investing in women’s economic empowerment is not a cost. It is one of the highest-return investments we can make.”

UN Women’s Beatrice Eyong praised the agenda, noting progress in entrepreneurship, skills, value chains, and Gender-Responsive Budgeting. However, she reminded stakeholders that gaps persist for rural, informal, disabled, and conflict-affected women. “When Nigerian women thrive economically, families are lifted out of poverty, communities become more resilient, and national development is accelerated.”

The Permanent Secretary described the review as “timely and strategic” to assess progress since the administration’s inception in May 2023.