The Federal Government has launched a new digital platform aimed at strengthening women’s economic participation and expanding access to opportunities across Nigeria.
The platform, known as the Happy Woman App, is a secure digital interface designed to connect women to finance, skills development, markets, essential services, and government support. The launch coincided with the announcement by President Bola Tinubu of the nationwide expansion of the Nigeria for Women Programme, which now targets 25 million beneficiaries.
The expanded programme builds on a pilot phase implemented in six states that reached over one million women, many of whom are engaged in small businesses, informal trade, and community-based enterprises. The government said the scale-up reflects its intention to place women-led economic activity at the centre of national development efforts.
Speaking at the presidential launch in Abuja, President Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said Nigeria’s development goals cannot be achieved without deliberately positioning women at the heart of national planning. He noted that women play a critical role not only in economic productivity but also in family stability and community resilience, adding that excluding them from opportunity would undermine national progress.
The President described the plan to reach 25 million women as ambitious but achievable, and called on the World Bank to strengthen its financial and technical support for the programme’s national rollout. He also emphasised the importance of technology in driving inclusion, noting that digital platforms have become essential for effective service delivery, competitiveness, and broad-based economic participation.
As part of the administration’s wider social agenda, the President declared 2026 the Year of Social Development and Families in Nigeria, directing coordinated action across all levels of government. The declaration follows a memorandum of understanding signed during his official visit to Turkey in January, focused on strengthening family cohesion and improving social welfare systems.
The Nigeria for Women Programme was originally approved in 2018 through a $100 million credit from the International Development Association. It was designed to improve women’s livelihoods by supporting their participation in income-generating activities and small businesses. In 2024, the Federal Government requested an extension of the project timeline to allow for the completion of livelihood activities and the disbursement of unutilised funds, particularly under the component focused on enterprise support.
For women entrepreneurs and MSMEs, the launch of the Happy Woman App and the expansion of the programme signal increased access to finance, skills, and market opportunities through a single digital channel. By combining technology with targeted policy support, the government aims to lower barriers faced by women-owned businesses and strengthen their contribution to household incomes, job creation and broader economic growth.
