WEE Policy: Kwara Leads North Central States in Policy Domestication

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The Kwara State has validated its Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy, becoming the first state in the North Central zone to domesticate the national framework designed to expand women’s access to finance, skills and economic opportunities.

The validation meeting was held on Friday at the conference room of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Community Development, Ilorin.

Delivering the keynote address, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Chief (Mrs.) Oluwakemi Opeyemi Afolashade, said the domestication of the policy aligns with the present administration’s commitment to inclusive governance and sustainable development.

“For us in Kwara State, women’s economic empowerment is not a slogan. It is the bedrock of societal prosperity. When you empower a woman, you uplift families, strengthen communities and drive economic growth,” she stated.

The Commissioner expressed appreciation to the Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, CON and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) for providing the political will and enabling environment that made the domestication possible, acknowledging the support of the First Lady of Kwara State, Amb. Prof. Olufolake AbdulRazaq, members of the State Executive Council and the NGF technical team.

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum-appointed Consultant on WEE, Prof. Idowu Aina Olabisi, said all states are expected to adopt and domesticate the policy, noting that with “political will, available data and stakeholder support, Kwara State is fully aligned and ready to implement the WEE Policy.”

Presenting the state’s readiness assessment, she revealed that Kwara State scored high across key Ministries, with the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development at 3.8 and the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development at 3.6, both leading in the evaluation.

The Facilitator from the WEE Technical Team, University of Ilorin, Dr. Tolulope Agaja, observed that although Kwara State is well positioned, financial constraints and transportation remain major barriers for women and called for increased awareness and improved access to credit facilities from both commercial banks and government intervention programs.

Representing the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development Pillar, Dr. Adeleye Abosede, called for an end to early marriage in Kwara State, suggesting the introduction of vocational skills for girls to promote independence.  

Likewise, the presenter for Labour Pillar, Dr. Aderemi Babatunde, urged the state government to create more employment opportunities for women to reduce their involvement in menial jobs, saying this would improve household incomes and boost the state’s economy.

The representative from the Entrepreneur Pillar, Mrs. Oguns Funmilayo, also commended the state government’s initiatives for supporting women farmers and market women and called for stronger synergy to ensure grassroots women benefit directly from government’s financial programmes.

Present at the meeting were the Commissioner for Water Resources, Hon. Usman Lade; representatives of Commissioners; development partners, civil society organizations, private sector representatives, persons with disability and traditional institutions.


Adewoye Abosede Oluwatosin,
Assistant Press Secretary,
MOWA.
0703 270 7712

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