Shettima flags-off investment fund for over 40,000 Katsina Women

The Vice-President of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima, has flagged off the disbursement of the Community Investment Fund (CIF) under the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up (NFWP-SU) in Katsina State, with more than 40,000 women set to benefit from business capital to expand their enterprises, improve household incomes, and strengthen their economic resilience.

The Vice-President performed the flag-off on Sunday at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium, Katsina, during his one-day official visit to the state, describing the initiative as an investment in the capabilities, enterprise, and economic potential of women.

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 impairments 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 percent 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.

According to him, the scale-up is targeting five million women directly, with millions more expected to benefit indirectly, while helping to create an estimated 4.5 million jobs.

Verghis disclosed that women participating in the programme had already mobilised and saved more than ₦20 billion of their own resources, describing the savings as evidence of discipline, trust, collective action, and economic agency.

He particularly commended the Katsina State Government for committing to match every dollar invested in the programme with another dollar of its own resources, describing the decision as a strong demonstration of the state’s confidence in its women.

He said the commitment had helped create the basis for expanding the NFWP-SU from its initial six LGAs to all 34 LGAs in Katsina.

Verghis urged banks, financial institutions, technology companies, aggregators, and other private-sector organisations to view Women Affinity Groups not simply as beneficiaries, but as potential customers, suppliers, producers, and business partners.

“The ultimate objective is not perpetual dependence on public or donor financing. The objective is to help women build viable and growing businesses that can access finance, compete in markets, create jobs, and stand on their own,” he said.

On her part, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajiya Aisha Aminu Malumfashi, said the NFWP-SU had recorded significant progress in Katsina through the formation and strengthening of Women Affinity Groups.

She disclosed that women in the Katsina and Daura Local Government Areas had formed more than 2,393 Women Affinity Groups, with Funtua also recording significant progress in group formation.

The Commissioner said the groups had collectively mobilised more than ₦310 million in savings, describing the achievement as evidence of growing financial discipline, collective responsibility, and economic self-reliance among women.

She commended Governor Radda for creating an enabling environment for women-focused interventions and appreciated the Federal Project Coordinating Unit, the World Bank, and other development partners for their technical and institutional support.

Hajiya Aisha urged beneficiaries to use the funds responsibly, expand their businesses, strengthen their groups, and utilise the opportunity to improve the welfare of their families and communities.

The event was attended by Deputy Governors Faruk Lawal Jobe and Mannir Yakubu; Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Nasir Yahaya Daura; Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Abdullahi Garba Faskari; the Head of Service; the Chief of Staff to the Governor; the PPS to the Minister of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy; the representative of the Minister of Women Affairs; serving Senators representing Katsina and Funtua zones; and members of the National Assembly representing Batagarawa/Rimi/Charanchi, Matazu/Musawa, and Mashi/Dutsi Federal Constituencies.

Also in attendance were former Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema; business mogul Alhaji Dahiru Mangal; former Minister Ahmed Musa Dangiwa; APC National Legal Adviser Barrister Murtala Kankia; State APC Chairman Bishir Gambo Saulawa; First Lady Zulaihat Radda; members of the State House of Assembly and State Executive Council; representatives of the Emirs of Katsina and Daura; Local Government Chairmen; development partners; representatives of the World Bank, UNDP, UN Women, and the Gates Foundation; members of Women Affinity Groups and other stakeholders; business community leaders; State APC candidates for the 2027 general elections; and other dignitaries.