Katsina State Governor, Dr Dikko Radda, has stated that his administration has allocated N4 billion in this year’s budget to support women-focused economic programs in the state.
Radda made this known at the two-day North West Scale-Up Summit of the Nigeria for Women Project (NFWP), held at the Presidential Banquet Hall, Government House, Katsina.
The summit which will round up with a technical session Thursday afternoon, brought together stakeholders from across the region, including deputy governors of Jigawa and Zamfara states, Commissioners for Women Affairs from Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi, Osun, Gombe, and Jigawa; senior federal officials, traditional leaders, representatives of development partners, and women leaders from grassroots organizations.
Radda said the budgetary allocation is the government’s way of complementing what the Nigeria for Women Project is doing in some parts of the state.
He said more than 800,000 women in the state are expected to benefit from the expanded implementation of the project, which currently operates in Katsina, Daura, and Funtua local government areas.
“This will be achieved through the formation of Women Affinity Groups (WAGs), access to microcredit, entrepreneurship training, and community-based cooperatives,” the governor said.
Radda also said the state would match the existing World Bank funding to scale the project across all 34 local governments in the state.
He stated that this commitment is supported by the allocation of ₦4 billion in the 2025 budget to fund women-focused economic programs, as well as the establishment of gender desks in every local government.
“Our women are not waiting to be helped—they are already leading change. We are simply giving them the platform,” Radda said.
On her part, Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, described the Nigeria for Women Project as the most coordinated and impactful gender equity initiative ever implemented in Nigeria.
The minister commended Radda’s administration for its vision and budgetary commitments, noting that Katsina has become a reference point for inclusive governance.
“From the ₦1 billion budgeted to tackle gender-based violence to the 34 functional Women Affairs offices across the state, Katsina has demonstrated what real commitment looks like,” the minister said.
In a goodwill message on behalf of the World Bank Country Director, Mr. Michael Gboyega, said Nigeria stands to gain between $9 billion and $27 billion in GDP growth by removing barriers to women’s full participation in the economy.
The state’s Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Hadiza Yar’adua, called for more inclusive financing mechanisms and tailored support for women in vulnerable communities.
Yar’adua, therefore, called on policymakers and financial institutions to prioritise the needs of widows, women with disabilities, and rural entrepreneurs.
