In a bold stride toward gender equality and inclusive growth, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday unveiled a comprehensive Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy Roadmap designed to break systemic barriers and expand opportunities for women across sectors.
Unveiled at Shell Hall, MUSON Centre, the roadmap was developed by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and targets key areas including agriculture, entrepreneurship, education, traditional labour, and emerging industries such as technology.
“This initiative reflects our administration’s unwavering commitment to gender equity and inclusive economic growth,” Sanwo-Olu said in his keynote, noting that despite women constituting nearly half of Lagos’s population, they remain disproportionately underserved in finance, education, and access to industries.
The roadmap is built on five pillars: Agriculture, Entrepreneurship, Traditional Labour Market, Emerging Industries, and Education and Skill Acquisition. It proposes strategic interventions such as gender-friendly financing, improved working conditions, digital inclusion, and data-driven gender-responsive policies.
In agriculture, for instance, the plan focuses on enhancing women’s access to digital tools, targeted financing, and e-commerce to scale agribusiness. For entrepreneurship, it advocates mentoring networks and accessible financial services.
The policy was developed with wide stakeholder input including ministries, private sector actors, civil society, and women’s groups to ensure a grounded and inclusive framework.
“Her aspirations and challenges, from youth to old age, must be central to the policies we design,” the governor stressed.
While acknowledging persistent issues like cultural biases and underrepresentation in STEM, Sanwo-Olu described the roadmap as a strategic tool to unleash women’s full potential, saying its success will benefit not just individuals but the entire Lagos economy.
Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Bolaji Dada, described the roadmap as a launchpad for scaling vocational training, supporting micro-enterprises, and deepening policy advocacy.
“Women’s empowerment is not a women’s issue. It is a Lagos issue, a development issue, and a moral imperative,” she declared.
