The Kwara State Government, civil society organisations, development partners and private sector stakeholders have inaugurated the State Project Steering Committee for the Renewed Women’s Voice and Leadership (RWVL) Nigeria Project, signalling a fresh commitment to expanding women’s participation in leadership and boosting their economic empowerment.
Speaking during the inauguration in Ilorin, the Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Hope for Women and Children Foundation (GLOHWOC), Dr. Christy Abayomi-Oluwole, described the committee as a strategic platform that would coordinate efforts to strengthen women’s rights organisations and ensure greater opportunities for women and girls across the state.
Abayomi-Oluwole said the committee would provide policy direction for the project while fostering collaboration among government institutions, women’s groups, civil society organisations and other key stakeholders.
“Today’s inauguration is not merely the beginning of another committee; it is the beginning of a stronger movement for women’s leadership, rights, voice and economic empowerment in Kwara State,” she said.
Abayomi-Oluwole explained that the committee would establish governance and accountability frameworks, improve coordination among partners and develop strategies to sustain the initiative beyond donor funding.
She applauded ActionAid Nigeria, Global Affairs Canada, the Government of Canada, government agencies, civil society organisations and the media for supporting the implementation of the project.
The GLOHWOC boss noted that the foundation was selected to lead the RWVL Nigeria Project in Kwara because of its strong grassroots presence, institutional capacity and long-standing commitment to promoting the rights of women and girls.
She reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to transparency, accountability, inclusiveness and participation, stressing that no woman should be excluded from the benefits of the initiative.
According to Abayomi-Oluwole, achieving lasting impact would require building resilient women’s organisations, promoting financial independence and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for women across different sectors.
She identified shea butter production, cassava and groundnut processing, Adire and Aso-Oke textile production as well as other agro-processing enterprises as priority value chains capable of increasing women’s incomes through value addition, improved branding, better market access and digital commerce.
“We need to build systems that continue to create impact long after project funding has ended. Strong organisations will continue serving women long after the project,” Abayomi-Oluwole added.
She also advocated stronger collaboration with state ministries, local government councils, financial institutions, development partners, research institutions, cooperatives and the private sector to expand funding opportunities and support women-owned businesses.
The steering committee is expected to strengthen women’s cooperatives, improve access to finance and markets, identify key advocacy priorities and promote community ownership of the project.
At the end of the meeting, members resolved to establish communication channels, prepare an annual work plan, identify priority advocacy issues and convene the committee’s first quarterly review meeting.
She urged all stakeholders to actively promote the objectives of the RWVL Nigeria Project in their organisations and communities, saying, “Together, let us ensure that every woman has a voice, every girl has an opportunity, and every community benefits from inclusive and sustainable development “.
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