By Our Correspondent
Socio economic empowerment of Women has been identified as a critical factor in ending Genderbased Violence in Nigeria
Governor Uba Sani who disclosed this while Speaking at an economic empowerment summit held in Kaduna, and that a total of 65,848 women have so far benefitted from the Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme under his administration as part of efforts to address poverty induced GBV.
The governor made this known during the launch of the Women Economic Empowerment Policy at the ongoing Women Economic Empowerment Summit held at the Umaru Musa Yar’adua Hall, Murtala Mohammed Square, Kaduna.
Governor Sani highlighted his administration’s significant strides in advancing women’s economic empowerment, including the Kaduna State Women Economic Empowerment Funds (KADSWEF).
He noted that KADSWEF provides annual financial support to women, with N200 million allocated in the 2024 budget. “So far, 10,786 women have benefitted, and we are set to launch the fourth tranche of funds to support more women from cooperative groups and associations,” he said.
In agriculture, Governor Sani revealed that women farmers were central to Kaduna’s largest free fertilizer distribution in Nigeria, with 240,000 bags distributed to 120,000 smallholder farmers. He also announced that over 5,000 rural and semi-urban women have been trained in modern agricultural techniques to boost productivity and reduce labor costs.
Additionally, he said, the administration has equipped over 120 women and adolescent girls with vocational and entrepreneurship skills, emphasizing that investing in women drives economic growth and secures the state’s future.
At the summit, the development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) praised Kaduna for being the first state to domesticate the National Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy.
Speaking on behalf of dRPC, Hassan Aliyu Karofi, Director of Partnerships and Communications, stressed the critical link between women’s empowerment and reduction of gender-based violence (GBV).
“Economic empowerment strengthens women’s resilience, reduces vulnerability, and addresses root causes of violence against women. The intersection between WEE policy implementation and GBV prevention is key to fostering safer communities,” Karofi stated.
He announced that dRPC is supporting eight states in implementing the WEE policy, with 11 more states set to join next month, December, signaling a nationwide movement to transform the lives of Nigerian women.
Other speakers also acknowledged the positive impact on women empowerment on the livelihoods and community development.(www.krestnews.com)