Vice President Kashim Shettima on Sunday afternoon flagged off the Community Investment Fund (CIF) under the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up (NFWP-SU) in Katsina State.

The event, held at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium, is aimed at financially empowering women groups who own small businesses to become self reliant.

The project, a collaboration between the World Bank and state government, was
initially targeted at a little over 50,000 women from three council areas of Katsina, Daura and Funtua.

The project was later expanded to reach women in all the 34 council areas of the state, with more than 800,000 women expected to benefit from the project in the coming months.

The vice president, who earlier arrived the state through the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport, also commissioned three major road projects executed by the Governor Dikko Radda administration.

The roads include the dualised 4.80km Kofar Sauri – Central Mosque Roundabout Road, the dualised 2.40km Central Police Station Junction – Kofar Kaura Underpass Road, and the newly constructed 4.00km Filin Polo – Ring Road.

On arrival in the state, the vice president was received by Governor Radda and subsequently inspected a quarter guard mounted by men of the Nigeria Air Force.

Also joining Radda to receive the vice president were the Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmumini Usman, members of the State Executive Council and other top government functionaries.

The Number Two citizen also launched 30 CNG hybrid buses and 200 Phase I electric tricycles at the Old Ministry of Works to boost mass transportation in the state.

Thereafter, Shettima received some decampees into the All Progressives Congress (APC) at a political gathering held at Peoples Square, Government House.

The vice president, who was still in the state as at time of report, is expected to depart the state for Abuja later in the evening.