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President Bola Tinubu has declared 2026 as the “Year of Social Development and Families in Nigeria,” calling for coordinated action across all levels of government.
The declaration was made on Thursday, during the launch of the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up Project (NFWP-SU) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Tinubu was represented at the event by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
In a statement released by the presidency on Friday, Tinubu said strong families are key to national development and security, adding that societies that invest in family stability reduce long-term vulnerability and instability.
“I hereby direct that the year 2026 be designated as the Year of Social Development and Families in Nigeria, with coordinated action across all arms and levels of government,” Tinubu announced.
The president noted that the country cannot achieve sustainable growth without placing women at the centre of national planning.
“A nation that relegates its women is a nation bound for implosion. We have long understood this truth,” Tinubu was quoted as saying in a statement by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs.
“That is why this administration has not only placed women at the forefront of decision-making but has also entrusted them with leadership in causes that redeem our national promise.”
Tinubu added that women are the authors of Nigeria’s development story and remain essential to family stability, community resilience and national productivity.
“We have set a bold but achievable national ambition: to reach 25 million Nigerian women through this programme,” Tinubu said and called on the World Bank to strengthen its financing and technical support.
He added that “digital inclusion is no longer optional; it is foundational to effective service delivery and national competitiveness.”
The declaration follows a memorandum of understanding signed during Tinubu’s official visit to Türkiye in January 2026, aimed at strengthening family cohesion and social welfare systems.
Tinubu praised the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development for integrating technology into policy implementation and reorganising social development programmes since the launch of the Renewed Hope Social Impact Intervention in Lafia last year.
He also commended state governors and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.
“National transformation succeeds when all levels of government move with shared purpose,” he said.
Earlier, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim, said the launch marked a major shift in government policy.
Ibrahim said women are no longer viewed as peripheral beneficiaries of development but as central drivers of Nigeria’s economic growth, social cohesion, and democratic stability.
The minister said the first phase of the Nigeria for Women Project addressed harmful social norms and strengthened women’s economic resilience.
She described the scale-up as one of the most far-reaching and ambitious expansions of social and economic empowerment in the nation’s history.
Ibrahim also announced the launch of Nigeria’s Third National Action Plan on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.
World Bank Regional Representative for Africa Robert Chase said the project was designed to place women at the centre of development.
According to Chase, the most effective investment a country can make is in women.
Nigeria is Africa’s fastest-growing country, with a population of more than 237 million people, according to the United Nations Population Fund.
The agency estimates Nigeria’s total fertility rate at approximately 4 children per woman.
