Vice President Kashim Shettima has launched the Community Investment Fund (CIF) disbursement in Katsina State, aimed at empowering women and promoting financial inclusion under the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up (NFWP-SU) Project. The programme was launched at Muhammadu Dikko Stadium, Katsina, with Shettima calling for a conducive business environment for Nigerian women to ply their trade. He emphasized that the nation owes women an economy worthy of their labour.
During the launch, Shettima inaugurated 32 compressed natural gas-powered buses and 200 electric-powered tricycles to ease public transportation in Katsina State. Additionally, he inspected completed road projects undertaken to improve traffic flow, connectivity, and urban mobility in the state metropolis, executed under the Katsina State Comprehensive Urban Renewal Programme. These initiatives aim to enhance the overall quality of life for residents in Katsina.
The Vice President noted that over 40,000 women in Katsina are eligible to receive business capital after fulfilling the prescribed eligibility conditions and demonstrating satisfactory performance in their savings and group activities. He emphasized that women should be given more space for their ambition to flourish, unlike in the past when they carried heavy responsibilities with limited resources for their businesses to thrive.
Shettima stressed that the economic reforms of the administration of President Bola Tinubu must translate into stronger businesses, greater purchasing power, and an improved quality of life for Nigerians. He maintained that the economic reforms must find expression in the earning capacity of citizens, and that national policy must be connected to the circumstances of the trader, the producer, and the service provider.
The Vice President applauded Governor Dikko Umaru Radda's sensitivity to the economic needs of women and vulnerable households, noting that the governor's attention to these groups honours an essential duty of leadership. He also commended the governor's commitment to empowering women, saying that empowering both men and women would strengthen household incomes and promote financial independence.
Earlier, Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Radda, said the state government has committed an additional N4 billion to the implementation of the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up, bringing the state's total financial commitment to the programme to N8 billion. He noted that the programme aims to expand economic opportunities for women across the state with the ultimate objective of improving their livelihoods.
Matthew Verghis, the World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, commended the Federal and Katsina State Governments for identifying the economic needs of women and choosing to address them through empowerment initiatives. He called on the private sector, community leaders, and traditional institutions to support efforts aimed at expanding economic opportunities for women across the state.
Key points
- The Vice President launched the Community Investment Fund disbursement in Katsina State, aimed at empowering women and promoting financial inclusion.
- The programme includes the disbursement of funds to over 40,000 eligible women in Katsina State.
- The initiative is part of the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up (NFWP-SU) Project, aimed at improving the livelihoods of women in Nigeria.
