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Lagos State government has disbursed approximately N2 billion through various poverty alleviation programs targeting vulnerable women and youths in the last year, according to the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Cecilia Bolaji Dada.
The disbursement was part of the initiatives aimed at empowering these groups under the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Speaking at the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing to mark the second year of the governor’s second term, Dada revealed that N1.5 billion of the N2 billion was allocated for micro-enterprise support initiatives, while the remaining N500 million was directed towards livelihood empowerment programs.
She noted that the programmes were designed to provide financial support and practical tools for business startups, particularly for women and youth who were selected from the state’s social register of vulnerable households.
“We go on the streets to evaluate and validate beneficiaries. Students from our schools are not just brought; we evaluated them. The ones that graduated, struggling to start their own business, we made sure we helped them. 10,464 graduated within two years,” Dada said.
She stressed the importance of the initiative in not just providing grants, but also ensuring that graduates of the skills acquisition centers had the tools they needed to kickstart their businesses.
Additionally, the commissioner revealed that as part of the state’s efforts to support non-governmental organisations, the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration provided N250,000 grants to 250 NGOs, totaling N62 million within the past year.
The commissioner also noted the successes of the NCARES (Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus) program, which benefited 7,372 vulnerable residents from 2023 to 2025.
Furthermore, a total of 3,750 women were trained and empowered through a four-week short-term skills acquisition program, aimed at alleviating the hardships faced by indigent and vulnerable residents in the state.
During the celebration of International Widow’s Day, Dada’s ministry provided financial support to 4,800 women to aid them in sustaining their businesses.
She also detailed the Health Nutrition programme, which aimed to educate women across three senatorial districts on healthy diets for their families.
“2,820 families benefitted from the Programme on Healthy Nutrition, tagged ‘OUNJE LORE AWO,’ in the three Senatorial districts in Lagos State,” she said.
The initiative also involved dieticians teaching women about the types of nutritious food to feed their children to promote better health.
The commissioner’s report reflects the Lagos State government’s ongoing efforts to combat poverty and empower its vulnerable populations through targeted programmes and initiatives.
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