Kehinde Ishola
The Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to women empowerment as a strategic tool for positioning women as key assets in their communities and in the overall development of the state.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs Bolaji Dada, gave the assurance on Wednesday at the 2025 Women Assembly organised by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) in Lagos.
Dada said the state government, through WAPA, had over the years implemented several programmes aimed at empowering women through skills acquisition and poverty alleviation initiatives.
She noted that thousands of women across the state had been trained and equipped with start-up tools to foster financial independence, self-sufficiency and sustainable livelihoods.
According to her, the programmes include a tuition-free skills acquisition scheme implemented across the five divisions of the state, the Life Skills and Empowerment Programme, the Micro Enterprise Support Initiative and the Agricultural Empowerment Initiative.
“Today, we gather again, stronger, more empowered and more determined to take our rightful place in the development and prosperity of our great state.
“This gathering celebrates the strength, courage and limitless potential of the Lagos woman. At WAPA, our focus remains clear: we want every woman in Lagos to win, to be empowered, independent and productive, and to be an asset, never a liability,” she said.
Dada added that the ministry had intensified sensitisation and public enlightenment on gender-based violence, particularly in rural, riverine and hard-to-reach communities, through community dialogues, advocacy and stakeholder training to strengthen support systems for survivors.
She assured that the state would continue to prioritise policies and programmes that promote the safety, confidence and productivity of women.
In her remarks, the wife of the State Governor, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, described the assembly as a reaffirmation of the pivotal roles women play in nation-building and in sustaining the values that drive Lagos forward.
She said every Lagos woman, irrespective of age, background or status, deserves access to knowledge, opportunities and a dignified life.
The First Lady noted that the assembly served as a platform to strengthen women’s capacity and celebrate their contributions to the development agenda of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.