The Gombe State Government has approved ₦3.5 billion in counterpart funding to support the expansion of the Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up (NFWP-SU) across the state’s 11 local government areas.

The development is expected to extend the programme beyond the three local government areas where it is already being implemented—Balanga, Yamaltu-Deba and Funakaye—and bring its activities to the remaining eight LGAs. The funding commitment was disclosed during an event in Deba, Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area, where women demonstrated how the programme’s Women Affinity Groups operate.

The Nigeria for Women Project uses Women Affinity Groups, commonly known as WAGs, as community-based platforms through which women can save money collectively, access loans, receive training and strengthen their businesses and livelihoods.

The World Bank, which supports the NFWP-SU, says the programme is designed to improve women's economic opportunities, financial inclusion and access to capital, while strengthening institutions that can support women’s long-term socioeconomic advancement. The scale-up project was approved in 2023 with $500 million in World Bank financing and became effective in June 2024.

Speaking during the Gombe event, NFWP-SU Task Team Lead Michael Ilesanmi highlighted the state’s implementation of the programme and the importance of the additional funding in extending its reach.

The expansion means more women in communities across Gombe will potentially be able to participate in the savings and lending structures provided through the Women Affinity Groups, as well as access livelihood and enterprise development opportunities.

The World Bank says WAGs are central to the project because they provide women with platforms to pool savings, access financial services, develop businesses and build social and economic networks. Evidence from the original Nigeria for Women Project showed that participating groups had collectively mobilised savings and used internal lending to support members’ livelihood activities.

Gombe Deputy Governor Manassah Daniel Jatau, who represented Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya at the event, said the state government remained committed to initiatives aimed at improving women's economic wellbeing and expanding financial opportunities.

He encouraged women to take advantage of government and development-partner programmes, pointing to initiatives such as the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) as part of efforts targeted at women and girls.

The state government also urged women to complement their increasing participation in economic activities with greater involvement in leadership, politics and decision-making.

The NFWP-SU is broader than a conventional financing scheme. According to the World Bank, the programme seeks to improve financial literacy, strengthen savings mobilisation, connect Women Affinity Groups with financial service providers and provide technical support to ensure that livelihood activities generate sustainable income.

The programme's approach builds on the earlier Nigeria for Women Project, which the World Bank says had reached more than one million people through various interventions and supported hundreds of thousands of women through Women Affinity Groups before the scale-up phase was introduced.

For women in Gombe, the ₦3.5 billion commitment represents an expansion of a programme that is already operating in parts of the state. With the planned extension to the remaining eight LGAs, the initiative is expected to increase the number of women able to participate in collective savings, access credit and pursue livelihood and enterprise opportunities.

The success of the expansion will ultimately depend on effective implementation, transparency and sustained support for the women and groups involved. For now, the funding commitment places women's economic empowerment and financial inclusion firmly among the priorities of the Gombe government's expansion of the Nigeria for Women Project.