World Bank and Katsina State Empower 800,000 Women

The World Bank, in collaboration with the Katsina State Government, has set a target to empower 800,000 women across all 34 local government areas of Katsina State under the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up (NFWP-SU) initiative. Michael Ilesanmi, the Senior Social Development Specialist at the World Bank and Task Team Leader for the NFWP, announced this on a Friday night briefing ahead of the programme's launch, which is expected to be unveiled by Vice-President Kashim Shettima.

The initiative has expanded from an initial target of 100,000 women due to the Katsina State Government's release of N8.5 billion in counterpart funding over two years, with further resources planned for the 2027 fiscal year. The programme aims to mobilize poor and vulnerable women into Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) to enhance their access to financial services, markets, and skills.

Aisha Aminu, the state Commissioner for Women Affairs, stated that the community investment fund will directly support 57,432 women in the state.