From Classrooms to Communities: Educating, Empowering, and Elevating Nigeria’s Girls and Women

​​​Through a portfolio of projects – AGILE, NFWP, IMPACT, ANRiN, NASSP-SU, and NG-CARES – the International Development Association (IDA) is empowering adolescents and women, driving Nigeria’s human capital development and fostering inclusive growth.

​​AGILE (Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment): 

Launched in 2021, AGILE improves secondary education for girls in 18 Nigerian states. It provides safe schools, life skills, digital literacy, and scholarships. Over 4 million girls have benefited, with targets to reach 15 million by 2028, reducing gender gaps and empowering adolescent girls for adulthood and employment.

​NFWP (Nigeria for Women Program): 

Started in 2019, NFWP empowers women (18+) in six states through Women Affinity Groups (WAGs), savings, livelihood grants, and skills training. Over 1 million women have benefited, forming 22,000+ WAGs, saving over 5 billion Naira ($3.4 million), and accessing markets, credit, and decision-making roles, promoting financial independence and social inclusion. 

​IMPACT (Immunization Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services): 

Launched in 2021, IMPACT aims to reduce under-five mortality by improving immunization and malaria services in 28 states. It supports vaccine delivery, health worker training, and facility upgrades. Millions of children and women benefit from better access to life-saving health services, targeting a 40 percent reduction in child mortality by 2030. 

​ANRiN (Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria): 

Launched in 2019, ANRiN delivers cost-effective nutrition services to pregnant women, adolescents, and children under five in 11 states. Over 13.5 million beneficiaries, including 9 million children and 4.3 million women, received nutrition interventions, reducing malnutrition and stunting, and strengthening state capacity for large-scale nutrition programs.

​NASSP-SU (National Social Safety Net Program Scale-Up): 

Launched in 2023, NASSP-SU expands shock-responsive cash transfers nationwide, targeting 56 million poor and vulnerable people. Over 42 million beneficiaries have received digital cash transfers; women were recipients of 94 percent of regular transfer. The program strengthens social registries, digital payments, and resilience to economic shocks.

​NG-CARES (Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus):

Launched in 2021, NG-CARES supports 17 million+ poor households and small businesses post-COVID-19. It provides cash transfers, food security, grants, and public works, reaching over 12 million with basic services and 3.5 million farmers, building resilience and supporting economic recovery nationwide.​​

Development Challenge

Nigerian women and girls face major challenges. Many girls marry early and become mothers as teenagers. There are big gaps between boys and girls in education, with girls less likely to finish school. Gender-based violence is prevalent, and few women work or have access to financial services. Women and girls also earn less and are less productive and profitable in jobs and farming. Improving health, education, skills, and economic opportunities for Nigeria’s adolescent girls and women is crucial for its economic development and growth.

World Bank Group Approach

Over the past decade, the World Bank has adopted a comprehensive, multi-pronged strategy to empower Nigeria’s women and girls by increasing their human capital and economic opportunities, to accelerate a delayed demographic transition. By combining support for girls’ education, adolescent health, economic inclusion, and prevention of gender-based violence, projects have ensured that progress in one area reinforces others. Innovations include Women Affinity Groups, digital financial inclusion, and social protection programs, alongside rigorous policy analytics. Partnerships with the Gates Foundation, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), UN agencies, IFC, and MIGA have scaled financial inclusion, private sector engagement, and women’s employment. Results include increased girls’ school enrollment, expanded social safety nets, improved health services, and strengthened legal protections against gender-based violence. The World Bank’s coordinated, long-term approach—integrating gender priorities into country strategies and leveraging diverse instruments—has driven substantial progress in closing gender gaps and building human capital for Nigeria’s future.

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Contribution to World Bank Group Targets and Jobs 

AGILE is expanding girls’ education and life skills, reducing poverty and improving job prospects. NFWP is empowering women via savings groups, business grants, and health insurance, advancing financial inclusion and healthier lives. IMPACT and ANRiN are improving access to health and nutrition services for women and children. NASSP-SU and NG-CARES are providing cash transfers and livelihood grants to poor women, supporting female entrepreneurship and creating more and better jobs.

Lessons Learned 

Two key lessons have emerged from the World Bank’s support to women and girls in Nigeria. AGILE’s experience shows that flexible, locally managed grants and capacity-building for school committees are essential for effective delivery and sustainability. NFWP’s Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) highlight the value of collective action—regular meetings and internal lending build financial capital, skills, and social support, enabling women to access markets and formal financial services. Both projects underscore the importance of addressing social norms through community engagement, ensuring interventions are inclusive and resilient, and allowing sufficient time for meaningful change to take root.

Next Steps

The World Bank Group’s strategic direction is guided by its 2024–2030 Gender Strategy, which aims to accelerate gender equality as a foundation for sustainable development. In Nigeria, the WBG is deepening country-led engagement, integrating gender analysis into diagnostics, and fostering collaboration across public and private sectors. Sustainability is ensured through financing, robust monitoring, and continued support for policy reforms and capacity building.