Katsina boosts women MSME with N5b

The Katsina State government has announced a N5 billion women empowerment scheme aimed at boosting micro, small, and medium-scale enterprises across the state.

Governor Dikko Radda made the announcement over the weekend during the launch of a grant distribution ceremony for 7,000 women from the Northwest region, held at the Local Government Service Commission conference hall, Katsina.

Speaking, Radda said empowering women was a vital ingredient for building resilient families and developing a stronger economy for the nation.

He said, “Empowering our women is crucial for building resilient families and a stronger economy. This comprehensive empowerment programme represents our administration’s dedication to women’s financial independence and economic growth.”

The governor also assured his administration’s commitment to coming up with more policies that would empower a greater number of women across the state.

Radda, however, called on the wives of state assembly members as well as local government chairmen to initiate similar programs in their constituencies.

The state commissioner for Women Affairs, Hadiza Yar’adua, said the N5 billion women empowerment scheme would focus solely on verified women entrepreneurs operating small and medium-scale businesses.

The Guardian reports that the launch of the Northwest grant distribution ceremony was made possible through a collaborative effort between the National Assembly Members Spouse Forum, the Federal College of Horticulture, Dadin Kowa, and AT&T Green Energy Solution.

The grant is expected to provide N30,000 cash assistance to 1,000 women in the state, with similar assistance to be given to some 6,000 women in other states within the region.

The National Coordinator of the Forum, Hajiya Yasmin Muazu, said the current initiative benefits 7,000 women across 186 local governments in the Northwest region.