Vice-President Kashim Shettima has flagged off the disbursement of the Community Investment Fund under the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up in Katsina State. The programme aims to empower over 40,000 women with business capital. Shettima performed the flag-off at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium in Katsina during his one-day official visit to the state. He described the initiative as an investment in women's enterprise and economic potential.
Shettima commended Governor Dikko Umar Radda for prioritising women and vulnerable households. He noted that the attention given to people with limited access to economic opportunities reflected inclusive governance. The Vice-President said the programme's impact should be measured not only by the number of beneficiaries but also by whether it strengthened businesses, increased household incomes, and created employment.
Governor Radda said women's economic empowerment remained a key component of his administration's Building Your Future Agenda. Katsina had demonstrated ownership of the NFWP-SU by providing counterpart funding to complement the World Bank's investment. This helped expand the programme from an initial six local government areas to all 34 LGAs in the state.
The Community Investment Fund will complement women's savings and provide capital to establish new businesses, expand existing enterprises, and strengthen productive activities through Women Affinity Groups. Governor Radda urged beneficiaries to invest the funds in viable businesses, maintain proper records, and sustain the culture of savings, cooperation, and collective responsibility underpinning the programme.
The World Bank representative, Matthew Verghis, said investment in women was an investment in Nigeria's economic growth. He noted that women contribute as farmers, traders, processors, entrepreneurs, professionals, employees, and community leaders. Participating women had collectively mobilised and saved more than N20 billion of their own resources, demonstrating discipline, trust, collective action, and economic participation.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajiya Aisha Aminu Malumfashi, said the NFWP-SU had recorded progress in Katsina through the formation and strengthening of Women Affinity Groups. Women in Katsina and Daura local government areas had formed over 2,393 Women Affinity Groups, while Funtua had also recorded significant progress in group formation.
Shettima urged beneficiaries to maintain the savings culture, proper record-keeping, and collective responsibility that qualified them for the intervention. The programme aims to improve women's control over economic decisions, and the Vice-President expressed hope that it would have a positive impact on the state's economy.
Key points
- Over 40,000 women in Katsina State are expected to benefit from the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up.
- The programme aims to empower women with business capital and strengthen their economic potential.
- The initiative is part of Governor Radda's Building Your Future Agenda, focusing on women's economic empowerment.
