FG Highlights Milestones in Gender Inclusion, GBV Prevention Under TRIMING Project in Kano

Folalumi Alaran in Abuja

The Federal Government, in a landmark step toward gender equity and community-led transformation in agriculture, hosted a high-level workshop today in Kano on Gender Mainstreaming and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Success Stories under the World Bank-supported Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMING) Project.

Themed “From Tradition to Transformation, Led by Women,” the workshop brought together government officials, donor agencies, civil society actors, women leaders, and academia to spotlight the project’s game-changing impacts in empowering women, tackling GBV, and reshaping water governance.

Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Richard Pheelangwah, said the TRIMING project has redefined women’s roles in agriculture, moving them from the margins to the heart of irrigation and water resource management.

“TRIMING has gone beyond infrastructure. It is reshaping narratives—women, youth, and vulnerable groups are no longer passive beneficiaries. They are decision-makers, leaders, and economic agents,” Utsev noted.

He said the project’s interventions have led to the development of Gender-Based Violence Action Plans across all implementation sites to mitigate risks and support survivors. Women now lead Water Users Associations (WUAs), actively shaping decisions in irrigation schemes. Media-driven storytelling and community dialogues in local languages have helped shift harmful cultural norms, while targeted training has strengthened the capacity of youth champions, gender desk officers, and local actors.

Utsev commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his unwavering political will and the World Bank for aligning global best practices with local realities. He urged other national programmes to adopt TRIMING’s gender-responsive blueprint, stressing that the fight for a GBV-free Nigeria must be sustained beyond the project’s lifespan.

Earlier, in a welcome address delivered on her behalf, Engr. Hauwa Sadique Mohammed, Deputy Director of Irrigation, described the workshop as a pivotal moment in building inclusive and safe rural communities. She said gender equality and social inclusion were not afterthoughts but embedded in the very fabric of TRIMING’s design.

In his technical presentation, Project Coordinator Engr. Ipinlaye Olaiya emphasized that gender mainstreaming was a strategic and essential element of all TRIMING components, contributing significantly to the long-term sustainability and impact of the project’s interventions.

Stakeholders including Engr. Rabiu Suleiman Yusuf, Managing Director of Hadejia Jama’are River Basin Development Authority; Prof. Restituta Igube of the University of Abuja; Gombe State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Asmau Mohammed Iganus; and a representative from the Kano State Ministry of Women Affairs all echoed the importance of inclusivity, sustainability, and community ownership in achieving gender-responsive water and agricultural development.

A symbolic highlight of the workshop was the decoration of Women Leaders of Water Users Associations from the Sokoto Rima River Basin, representing Jigawa, Kano, Gombe, and Zamfara States—signifying a bold step toward institutionalizing women’s leadership in the rural water sector.