Women’s Economic Empowerment
DMO Tiwa n Tiwa Cooperative Society
Interest-free capital. Opportunities that keep circulating.
women received loans by 2023
of Odo-Otin’s 15 wards reached
pilot launched in September
For a woman running a small business, a modest amount of capital can make a difference. GIPSED’s DMO Tiwa n Tiwa Cooperative Society (DTCS) provides interest-free revolving loans through women’s groups, helping members access business capital without the high interest and intimidation associated with some informal lenders.
How the initiative began
Dr Michael and Mrs Oluwapelumi Olugbile were moved by accounts of women experiencing harassment and degrading treatment after struggling to repay small, high-interest loans. They wanted to offer an alternative that would help women start or support their businesses.
The founders also wanted the support to continue beyond a first set of beneficiaries. This led to a cooperative approach in which repayments make funds available to other members.
A revolving model managed through groups
GIPSED brings together groups of around 40 women and provides each group with a grant. The group uses this capital to offer interest-free loans to an initial 10 members selected at random.
As those members repay their loans, further beneficiaries are randomly selected by the group. The same initial capital can therefore support successive borrowers. Local coordinators help organise the groups and maintain engagement with members.
From the pilot to ten wards
The pilot began in September 2020 among women in Dr Michael Olugbile’s extended family compound in Okuku. Starting with 10 borrowers, the group had supported 36 women by the time of the November 2021 update. That update reported no defaults in the pilot at that point.
The initiative subsequently expanded to 10 of the 15 wards in Odo-Otin LGA. By 2023, more than 200 women had received interest-free revolving loans. Expansion to further communities depends on available resources.
Community leadership and accountability
The scheme has been coordinated through the GIPSED field team, led by Seun Abimbola Olaniyan, with the support of local women’s coordinators. Their work helps keep the programme connected to members and the day-to-day operation of each group.
The cooperative galleries document participating groups. The reported reach of more than 200 women is dated to 2023 and is not an estimate of the current number of active loans.
From our communities
The programme in pictures
