On Friday, women’s reproductive health rights activist, Dr. Ejike Oji, inaugurated the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the Five Million Women Database (Womendb), an initiative to address Nigerian women’s health-related challenges.
Dr. Oji, who is the President/CEO and Convener of Womendb, said the initiative is designed to empower women and promote their contributions across various fields. It also marks the celebration of his 70th birthday.
He explained that the initiative seeks to build the capacity of women by providing a one-stop platform for accessing reproductive health and rights information and services.
The former Nigeria Country Director of the international non-profit organisation Ipas noted that the lack of organised and coherent data on women and women’s groups makes it difficult to address the challenges confronting them.
According to him, the novel initiative, which will be IT-driven, is being implemented under the Dr. Ejike Oji Community Development Foundation. The foundation will collect data from women across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“The database will help harness collective voices for advocacy, facilitate extensive information transmission, and address the limited success in implementing women-focused programmes,” he said.
Dr. Oji added that the development of the database has already commenced, with the FCT topping the list of initial locations. He noted that the foundation would adopt a “hub and spoke” approach to ensure both urban and rural women benefit.
“Womendb is a rapidly growing women’s group focused on leveraging the numerical strength of women globally to provide opportunities for its members,” he said.
“Our mission is to enroll five million women into the Womendb database. Afterward, we plan to expand to 11 African countries where we already have partners.”
According to him, the initiative—which is scheduled to be officially launched on July 11, in celebration of his 70th birthday—is expected to provide valuable insights, foster collaboration, and promote the accomplishments of women within communities and beyond.
He emphasized that joining the initiative would offer access to key services and commodities, connections to development interventions, and other potential benefits.
“It will facilitate access to grants, loans, and microcredit support; promote the creation of large-scale cooperative associations; improve access to health services; and establish an organised mechanism to deliver measurable benefits to members,” he said.
“It will also provide a framework for easier dissemination of information, streamlined administration of dues, and key demographic data disaggregated by age group, interests, location, and occupation.”
Dr. Oji disclosed that organisations such as the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN), the National Council for Women Societies (NCWS), the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), and religious groups are already registered with Womendb.
He urged more women to join the initiative to benefit from the foundation’s various programmes.
In a goodwill message, a Political Scientist and Director at the MacArthur Foundation Nigeria, Dr. Kole Shettima said the initiative would offer women greater access to healthcare services and economic empowerment opportunities.
The Executive Director of Peace and South-East Project, Dr. Austin Onuoha stated that Womendb would help overcome challenges related to accessing data for research, innovation, and the implementation of programmes targeting women.
Mr. Joshua Adams of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) pledged media support for the foundation’s goals.
The LOC, chaired by Dr. Oji, comprises more than seven sub-committees. The formal launch is scheduled for July 31 in Abuja.
By Justina Auta
