The Oyo State Government has commenced moves to domesticate the Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy, with a view to institutionalising the inclusion of women in government policies, programmes, budgeting, and economic opportunities across the state.
The initiative, being implemented by the Oyo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion in collaboration with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), is aimed at strengthening women’s participation in key sectors of the state’s economy and ensuring that government interventions adequately respond to their needs.
The five-day exercise, themed “Domestication of Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy,” commenced on Monday, September 7, 2026, at the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Secretariat, Ibadan.
The NGF delegation to the exercise is led by Prof. Olabisi Aina, a professor of sociology and specialist in gender development.
The first two days of the exercise are focused on Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and engagements with Commissioners, Directors, and other critical stakeholders across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to assess the extent to which women are currently reflected in government policies, programmes and interventions.
The exercise will continue from September 9 to 11 with a three-day technical session at the Ibadan Business School, Old Bodija, Ibadan, where stakeholders will deliberate on the findings, review the policy document, and validate recommendations towards its domestication in Oyo State.
Speaking during the exercise, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Alhaja Joke Fausat Saani, said the domestication of the policy would take women’s economic empowerment beyond the traditional activities of the Ministry and make it a shared responsibility of all MDAs.
She explained that the policy would ensure that women’s interests were mainstreamed into government planning, budgeting, and programmes across critical sectors, including agriculture, education, employment, and solid minerals.
According to her, government interventions must deliberately take women into consideration as beneficiaries, particularly in agricultural programmes involving the distribution of seedlings, fertilisers and other inputs.
The Commissioner also stressed the importance of including women living with disabilities and other persons with special needs in government programmes and empowerment initiatives.
She described the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion as the coordinating and monitoring institution for the policy, with the responsibility of ensuring that MDAs fulfil their commitments towards advancing women’s economic empowerment.
Alhaja Saani said the initiative represented a significant departure from a situation where the ministry had to continually appeal to other MDAs to include women in their programmes.
“We are tired of pleading. This policy is no longer about pleading; it is about changing the architecture of governance,” she said.
She noted that the policy would also require government budgets and programmes to be examined from a gender perspective, stressing the need to determine how public expenditure translated into tangible benefits for women.
The Commissioner added that the policy would create opportunities for women to move beyond micro-enterprises and gain greater access to capital, resources, and economic opportunities in sectors traditionally dominated by men.
She expressed confidence that the Oyo State Government, under the leadership of Governor Seyi Makinde, would provide the political will required to ensure the effective implementation of the policy.
Also speaking, the leader of the NGF delegation, Prof. Olabisi Aina, said the exercise was aimed at changing the architecture of governance by ensuring that women’s economic empowerment was integrated into the operations of government.
Aina explained that the policy was not designed to create another programme for the Ministry of Women Affairs alone but to make the inclusion of women a collective responsibility of all MDAs.
She said every ministry should be able to demonstrate how women would benefit from its policies, programmes and budgets, irrespective of the sector.
According to her, ministries responsible for agriculture, recruitment, education, solid minerals, and other sectors must deliberately consider women in their activities and ensure equitable access to opportunities and resources.
She described the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion as the “police” of the policy, responsible for monitoring implementation and ensuring that other MDAs fulfil their obligations, while the various MDAs would serve as the “accelerators” for achieving its objectives.
Aina urged stakeholders to approach the technical sessions with an open mind, noting that the process was rigorous because it was aimed at achieving a fundamental change in the way government policies and programmes were designed and implemented.
She emphasised that a successful society must deliberately consider women in its development agenda, adding that the WEE Policy would provide a framework for ensuring that women’s economic interests were reflected in government planning, budgeting and implementation.
The exercise is expected to culminate in a stakeholders’ workshop and validation of the findings before the policy is finalised and domesticated in Oyo State.
The domestication of the policy is expected to provide a sustainable framework for advancing women’s economic empowerment while strengthening their access to opportunities, resources, and decision-making spaces across the state.
Present at the exercise were the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Mrs. Oluyinka Shotonwa-Roagess, and other members of the ministry’s management team.
Packaged by Adekunle Adegboyega
