World Bank, Katsina Target 800,000 Women for Empowerment

The World Bank, in collaboration with the Katsina State Government, has targeted the financial and skills empowerment of 800,000 women across the 34 local government areas of the state under the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up (NFWP-SU) initiative.

The Senior Social Development Specialist at the World Bank and Task Team Leader for the Nigeria for Women Programme (NFWP), Michael Ilesanmi, disclosed this on Friday night while briefing journalists ahead of the launch of the NFWP-Scale Up (NFWP-SU) Community Investment Fund (CIF) in the state on Sunday.

The World Bank-supported programme, which is expected to be unveiled by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, has been expanded from six local government areas to all 34 local government areas of the state.

Ilesanmi explained that the state government had, over the past two years, released N8.5 billion in counterpart funding for the programme, with additional resources budgeted for the 2027 fiscal year.

He said the “significant investment” by the state government had paved the way for the World Bank-supported programme to move from the initial target of reaching 100,000 women to 800,000 women in the state.

He said: “In just two years, the Katsina State Government has released N8.5 billion as a counterpart fund for this programme. This is not a budget; it is a release. We understand that a significant amount has already been budgeted in next year’s appropriation act.

“As a result of this significant commitment, instead of 100,000 women to benefit from this programme in Katsina, we are now going to see at least 800,000 women benefiting from the Nigerian Women Programme scheme. This is why we see Katsina State as a flagship for the Nigerian Women Programme.

“In its wisdom, the government of Katsina has also decided that they are  going to put additional services, including health insurance, for all women beneficiaries, as well as other support, so as to ensure that the empowerment that these women get is total and a wraparound service.”

He, however, noted that the NFWP-SU was designed to mobilise “poor and vulnerable women” into Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) to gain access to financial services, markets, productive assets, skills and other forms of support needed to improve their livelihoods.

He added that the programme seeks to strengthen women’s economic empowerment by improving access to finance and markets while addressing social norms that limit women’s participation in economic activities.

He further disclosed that the programme places particular emphasis on financial inclusion through financial literacy, financial planning, savings mobilisation and partnerships with financial service providers.

Earlier, the state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Aisha Aminu, said the community investment fund will provide direct financial support to 57,432 women in the state.

She described the World Bank-supported initiative as a critical intervention that will strengthen women’s economic participation, especially among poor and vulnerable households.

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