Stakeholders working towards the domestication and implementation of the National Women Economic Empowerment Policy (NWEEP) in every state have begun to cascade the policy down to Kano State to amplify women’s voices.

The move began on Saturday in Abuja with a strategic retreat organized in collaboration with Kano State Ministry of Women, Children, and Disabled, Isa Wali Empowerment Initiative (IWEI), the Development Research and Projects Center (dRPC), and Investing in Women in Nigeria (IIW-Nigeria).

Speaking at the event, the Executive Director of IWEI, Hajiya Amina Hanga, noted that the retreat was in line with the body’s shared objective of domesticating, integrating, and implementing the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy at the sub-national level.

According to her, the three partner organizations are supporting the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development (MWACD) in convening a high-level retreat with seven key Commissioners in Kano State, adding that the purpose of the retreat is to provide a strategic platform for the Commissioner for Women Affairs to brief her fellow commissioners on the WEE Policy.

Hanga disclosed that the engagement is intended to prepare them ahead of her formal presentation of the Policy to the Executive Council and the Kano State Governor, maintaining that the retreat will enable the Commissioners to gain a clear understanding of the relevance and impact of the WEE Policy, not only for their respective ministries but also for the broader development of Kano State.

She added that their collective support is essential to ensure the successful domestication and implementation of the policy across the State.

“So the idea behind this is that we know that women make up 50% of the population, and yet a huge percentage living in poverty,” she said.

“So the essence is to give them opportunities and choices whereby they can become empowered, economically empowered, and we know that when a woman is empowered, her family benefits and the community she lives in benefits. And we are hoping that overall, they will contribute to the GDP of the country.”