Vice-President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Katsina State for a one-day official visit.
During the visit, the Vice-President commissioned three major road projects executed by the Radda administration — the dualised 4.80km Kofar Sauri – Central Mosque Roundabout Road, the dualised 2.40km Central Police Station Junction – Kofar Kaura Underpass Road, and the newly constructed 4.00km Filin Polo – Ring Road.
He also launched 30 CNG hybrid buses and 200 Phase I electric tricycles at the Old Ministry of Works to boost mass transportation in the state.
The Vice-President also received new decampees into the All Progressives Congress (APC) at a political gathering at Peoples Square, Government House,
Earlier, after arrival, the Vice President flagged off the Community Investment Fund under the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up (NFWP-SU) at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium, in a major push for women empowerment and financial inclusion in Katsina State.
Shettima said the programme responds to the need to expand economic opportunities for women who shoulder significant household responsibilities but often face limited access to capital and productive resources.
“Over 40,000 women in Katsina State stand to receive business capital, having fulfilled the prescribed eligibility conditions and demonstrated satisfactory performance in their savings and group activities,” he said.
The Vice-President commended Governor Dikko Umaru Radda for prioritising women and vulnerable households, saying the administration’s attention to citizens with limited access to economic opportunities reflects responsible and inclusive leadership.
“Katsina’s concern for enterprise acquires deeper meaning when it reaches the woman whose ambitions have remained smaller than her abilities because her resources could carry her no further,” Shettima said.
He stressed that the success of the programme should be measured beyond the number of beneficiaries, particularly by whether businesses become stronger, household earnings improve, employment opportunities increase and women gain greater control over their economic decisions.
Shettima also urged beneficiaries to preserve the savings discipline, proper record-keeping and collective responsibility that qualified them for the intervention.
He called on those administering the fund to ensure transparency, fairness, proper documentation and accountability throughout the disbursement process.
Earlier in his address, Governor Radda said women’s economic empowerment remained a central component of his administration’s Building Your Future Agenda, stressing that investing in women strengthens families, communities and the wider state economy.
Radda said Katsina had demonstrated strong ownership of the NFWP-SU by committing matching resources to complement the World Bank’s investment, a decision that helped expand the programme from its initial coverage of six Local Government Areas to all 34 LGAs of the state.
He said the Community Investment Fund would complement women’s savings and provide resources to establish new businesses, expand existing enterprises and strengthen productive economic activities through Women Affinity Groups.
The Governor stressed that Sunday’s ceremony marked the commencement, rather than the conclusion, of the disbursement process, assuring eligible groups that had not received funds at the launch that the programme would continue in phases.
“Today’s flag-off marks the commencement of the disbursement process; it is not the conclusion of the process. Women Affinity Groups that are not receiving their grants today should remain confident that the process will continue,” he said.
Radda appealed to the World Bank and other development partners to provide additional financing and technical support to enable Katsina to expand the programme’s coverage, deepen its impact and reach more women, particularly those in underserved communities.
He also highlighted the participation of women with hearing impairment who have established their own Women Affinity Groups, describing their inclusion as evidence of the administration’s commitment to ensuring that disability does not become a barrier to economic opportunity.
The Governor urged beneficiaries to invest the funds in viable economic activities, maintain proper records and sustain the culture of savings, cooperation and collective responsibility underpinning the programme.
He further disclosed that the state would explore sustainable approaches to extend complementary economic empowerment opportunities to men, stressing that strengthening both women and men would contribute to stronger families, poverty reduction and community resilience.
Also speaking, the World Bank representative, Matthew Verghis, said investing in women was an investment in Nigeria’s economic growth, noting their contributions as farmers, traders, processors, entrepreneurs, professionals, employees and community leaders.
He said a recent World Bank Gender Innovation Lab diagnostic estimated that closing gender gaps in agriculture, self-employment and wage employment could generate $22.9 billion, equivalent to 5.8 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP.
“This gives us a clear message: investing in women is investing in Nigeria’s economic growth,” Verghis said.
He explained that the $540 million Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up is being implemented across 32 states, building on an earlier programme that supported more than 460,000 rural women.