By Blessing Otobong-Gabriel
The Embassy of France in Nigeria has announced significant progress under its French Embassy Fund for Civil Society Organizations (FEF-OSC) Programme, a flagship initiative designed to advance gender equality and strengthen the economic empowerment of women and girls across the country.
According to the Embassy, the programme has delivered impactful results through targeted support to grassroots organisations, capacity-building initiatives, and community-driven interventions that promote women’s rights, entrepreneurship, and financial inclusion.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja, the Ambassador, Embassy of France in Nigeria, Marc Fonbaustier said the FEF-OSC Programme, designed in close partnership with Nigerian Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, has supported 21 diverse projects across 16 states.
The FEF-OSC Programme is also helping to strengthen local structures that protect women and girls from gender-based violence, while creating more opportunities for them to thrive socially and economically.
He noted that the initiative reflects France’s long-standing commitment to supporting inclusive development in Nigeria, with plans underway to expand its reach and deepen its impact in more communities.
“These projects address critical areas including economic empowerment, climate resilience, peacebuilding, and GBV prevention”.
He noted that the key finding of the dissemination event is the programme’s exceptional efficiency and long-term value creation of High Social Return on Investment (SROI): The average SROI for the projects stands at 4.3. This means that for every 1 Naira invested by the FEF-OSC, 4.3 Naira in value was generated or saved for women, families, and local administrations.
He said, the CSOs secured an impressive 546 formal partnerships with Federal and State Ministries, private sector actors, and traditional rulers, anchoring their solutions deeply within local institutional and market ecosystems”.
He explained that the project’s methodology was intentionally new and original, built through a co-creation process rather than a top-down model. “We selected 21 projects across 16 states, but this was not imposed by France or based on a preconceived vision of what Nigeria or the OSCEs need. We co-built the project with the OSCEs under the patronage of the Ministry of Women Affairs,” he said.
The Ambassador emphasised the importance of working directly with OSCEs to understand their needs and targets.
He highlighted the necessity of having strong institutional backing within Nigeria. “We would be foolish to pretend that France can simply arrive and operate directly without official blessing and coverage,” he said.
He described the collaboration process as constructive and fruitful, leading to the selection of the 21 projects. “I’m very proud of what has been achieved,” he noted.
He stressed that future French-supported projects in Nigeria will continue to follow a model of co-construction, ensuring that interventions are tailored to local needs and expectations.
Addressing the focus on civil society, he said the featured project places OSCEs at the center because they are often the most present and connected actors in local communities.
According to him, the success of the project reinforces France’s commitment to scaling up future work with civil society organizations. “OSCEs cannot be the exclusive partners, but their skills, location, and agility make them irreplaceable.”
Responding to a question on lessons for donor agencies especially regarding gender equality and economic inclusion, Fonbaustier said the program demonstrates why donors must work directly with OSCEs to ensure responsive, sustainable, and context-specific interventions.
