The Aziza Development Foundation (TADF), a non-profit organization based in Oyo State, has launched the Money Wise Girls (MWG) Project: an ambitious initiative aimed at equipping 2,500 schoolgirls across underserved communities in Oyo State with essential financial literacy skills.

The project seeks to bridge the financial knowledge gap among teenagers, particularly in rural and underserved communities, where lack of access to financial education continues to aid poverty and gender inequality.

Targeting girls between the ages of 13 and 19, the MWG Project is being delivered through a structured, school-based advocacy campaign. The intervention begins with sensitization sessions in schools, followed by the establishment of Financial Literacy Clubs, where participants will be taught practical money management skills including saving, budgeting, smart spending, entrepreneurship, and personal development.

While speaking with newsmen, the Head of Operations for the foundation, Motunrayo Oripeloye, explained that the project is much more than an awareness campaign. “The Money Wise Girls Project is more than a campaign, it’s a movement,” she said. “At the heart of this project is the belief that when a girl child is financially literate, she is better equipped to shape her future and contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s economic prosperity.”

Oripeloye added that while the program focuses on girls, boys are not excluded from participating. “This project is about breaking the cycle of financial dependence and poverty that traps too many young people, especially girls, in situations where they may be exploited just to meet their basic needs,” she noted.

The MWG Project aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including eradicating poverty, promoting quality education, achieving gender equality, fostering economic growth, and building partnerships for development, which are: Goals 1, 4, 5, 8 and 17 of the UN SDGs respectively. 

“We currently partner with Mentoring Assistance for Youths and Entrepreneurs Initiative (MAYEIN), the Oyo State Ministry of Education, and the Local Inspector for Education, Akinyele L.G.A, to carry out this intervention. So far, the project has reached Ibadan- north, Akinyele, and Ibadan-northwest local government areas in Oyo State” she added.

TADF calls on government agencies, corporate organizations, community-based NGOs, school owners, media houses, and volunteers to join hands in supporting the project towards expanding its reach beyond Oyo State. “Through collaboration with critical partners, donors, and stakeholders, this project can drive real impact and contribute to positive youth development in Nigeria,” stated the Head of Operations.

“However, we need more partners: nationally and internationally, who are passionate about youth and women’s empowerment to help us scale and sustain our mission, because the foundation believes that empowering girls with financial knowledge is a critical step toward building stronger and more resilient communities across the country”, she concluded.