News Investigators/ The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to empowering five million rural women-owned businesses with the commissioning of the Osusu Abaala Women Palm-Oil Collective in Isialangwa North Local Government Area of Abia.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, made this known in a statement signed by Ahmed Danbazau, Head, Information, Press and Public Relations on Thursday in Abuja.
The minister said that the initiative, launched under the Nigeria for Women Programme, is part of efforts to scale up women’s economic inclusion nationwide.
She described the collective as a milestone in advancing rural productivity, inclusive economic development and structured women-led enterprise.
“What we are witnessing today is not accidental; it is the result of deliberate policy, sustained partnerships, and the resilience of Nigerian women,” she said.
According to her, the commissioning of the palm oil collective demonstrates how organised women, when supported with structure, skills and market linkages, can transition from fragmented informal activity to coordinated, market-oriented production.
She noted that the Nigeria for Women Programme was designed to address structural barriers limiting women’s access to finance, markets, skills and social capital.
The minister said Phase I of the programme, implemented between 2018 and 2024 across the six geo-political zones, recorded measurable improvements in income, savings, enterprise development and collective action.
Building on the gains, she said the Federal Government had commenced a national scale-up phase launched by President Bola Tinubu, aimed at reaching at least five million women across the 36 states and the FCT.
She explained that the expansion aligned with the Renewed Hope Social Impact Interventions 774 (RH-SII 774), a framework integrating women’s economic empowerment, food security, social protection and family resilience across all local government areas.
“Within this architecture, initiatives like the Nigeria for Women Project Collectives serve as practical entry points for economic inclusion at the community level,” she said.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim said the commissioning aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu, who has positioned women’s economic empowerment as central to national productivity, rural development and social stability.
She also referenced the President’s declaration of 2026 as the Year of Social Development and Families.
Addressing beneficiaries, the minister urged the women of Osusu Abaala to manage the facility with transparency and discipline.
“This facility is an economic asset and a collective responsibility. It must be governed transparently, managed efficiently, and sustained through accountability, reinvestment and disciplined group leadership.
“With improved processing capacity and stronger market linkages, your productivity, bargaining power and incomes should increase significantly,” she said.
She commended President Tinubu for his leadership and acknowledged the advocacy of the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, for promoting the visibility and economic agency of Nigerian women.
The minister also commended the Governor of Abia, Alex Otti, and his wife, Priscilla Chidinma Otti, for providing an enabling environment for women-focused economic initiatives in the state.
She further appreciated the World Bank and other development partners for their technical and financial support.
“It is my prayer that the Osusu Abaala Women Palm-Oil Collective will stand as a replicable model of organised women’s enterprise, local value addition and inclusive agribusiness development,” she said.
NAN