By Peter Omopo
Kaduna | July 26, 2025
The Kaduna State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to boosting women’s economic participation with a N5 billion empowerment grant aimed at reaching 10,000 women across the state.
This was disclosed at a high-level stakeholders’ workshop held in Kaduna to drive the implementation of the state’s Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy and Action Plan. The event was convened by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Development, with technical support from Dev-Afrique Development Advisors.
The WEE policy, launched by Governor Uba Sani in November 2024, seeks to eliminate systemic barriers to women’s economic participation, broaden access to resources, and promote inclusive development, particularly in rural and marginalised communities.
In her address, Commissioner for Human Services, Hajiya Rabi Salisu Ibrahim, urged women to take full advantage of the N5 billion grant programme by registering through recognised cooperatives or business clusters.
“We are targeting 10,000 women across Kaduna State for this disbursement, but so far only 2,000 have registered,” she revealed. “We are calling on more women entrepreneurs to take this opportunity seriously.”
The initiative is funded by the Gates Foundation through the WEE Catalyst Fund and coordinated locally by Dev-Afrique, in partnership with the Albright Stonebridge Group.
The workshop brought together key stakeholders from the 23 local government areas, including officials from the ministries of Agriculture, Business Innovation and Technology, and Gender Affairs, as well as civil society groups, private sector representatives, and traditional leaders.
Panel discussions focused on sector-specific strategies for empowering women, particularly those in rural areas, and called for inclusive policies that address the needs of women with disabilities.
Kaduna State Media Corporation pledged to amplify women-focused content across its broadcast platforms but called for better collaboration with government agencies and community-based organisations.
Keystone Bank pledged to support financial inclusion by facilitating account openings for women beneficiaries. Additionally, Hajia Ramatu Ibrahim, Vice President (Northwest) of the Africa Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative, offered free business training sessions to enhance capacity and awareness.
In her closing remarks, Director of Gender Affairs, Mrs. Lami Usman, emphasized that the success of the WEE Policy depends on broad-based collaboration.
“This policy must not end as a document. It must translate into real improvements in women’s livelihoods, business opportunities, and leadership roles. We urge all participants to become ambassadors for women’s economic empowerment across Kaduna,” she said.
Dev-Afrique announced that the next phase of the WEE implementation will focus on integrating the policy across government ministries and deploying “policy champions” to drive awareness and accountability at the grassroots.
