Kaduna Holds Workshop for Deepening Women’s Economic Empowerment Implementation

Dike Onwuamaeze

The Kaduna State Ministry of Human Services and Social Development (MHSSD), in collaboration with Dev-Afrique Development Advisors, has convened a high-level sensitisation workshop in Kaduna to drive effective implementation of the State’s Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) policy and action plan.

The workshop brought together diverse stakeholders from government ministries, private sector organisations, civil society groups, and women leaders representing all 23 local government areas.

The workshop was meant to increase awareness and deepen understanding of the Kaduna State WEE policy, which was launched in November 2024 by the Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani.

The WEE Policy represents a landmark commitment by the Kaduna State Government to expand economic opportunities for women, address systemic barriers to inclusion, and harness women’s potential for state-wide prosperity.

This initiative is funded by the Gates Foundation through the WEE Catalyst Fund, with Dev-Afrique serving as local implementation partner to Albright Stonebridge Group (ASG).

In her welcome address, the Honourable Commissioner of MHSSD, Ms. Rabi Salisu Ibrahim, reaffirmed the ministry’s mission to translate policy into tangible improvements in women’s lives.
Ibrahim emphasised the urgency of bridging gaps in access to finance, markets, and networks, urging participants to champion the policy within their respective communities and sectors.
The commissioner also called on women entrepreneurs to register for the disbursement of the ₦5 billion empowerment grant that Governor Sani announced during the launch of the policy in November 2024.
The ministry plan is to initiate disbursements to women registered under cooperatives or clusters, with a target of 10,000 registrations.
However, only 2,000 had registered so far, prompting the ministry to further encourage more women and entrepreneurs to register.
The workshop featured a panel discussion on Kaduna’s blueprint for WEE implementation, facilitated by Dev-Afrique, where panelists explored the roles of key Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in advancing the policy’s sectoral pillars.

The speakers included Director, Gender Affairs at MHSSD, Mrs. Lami Usman; Mrs. Dinah Ayuba Sambo from the Ministry of Agriculture, and Mrs. Juddi Dowyaro from the Ministry of Business Innovation and Technology.

In a session examining the role of media, private sector, and social sector stakeholders, participants discussed the need for proactive reporting, strategic partnerships, and content amplification to accelerate outcomes.

The Kaduna State Media Corporation (KSMC) shared updates on their existing platforms that spotlight women but highlighted low participation of resource persons.
The corporation called for closer collaboration with MDAs, private sector, and civil society to maximise these opportunities.

During the open dialogue segment, participants emphasised the importance of sensitising traditional and religious leaders to the WEE Policy, recognising their influence within communities.

There were also calls for the inclusion of women with disabilities in future dialogues and programs to ensure their unique needs are not overlooked.

Many stakeholders raised concerns about women’s limited access to funds, markets, and networks, advocating that empowerment interventions should combine financial support with knowledge transfer to ensure sustainable utilisation of resources.

The Ministry of Agriculture reiterated its commitment to supporting women through its Office of Women in Agriculture, which provides land allocations and training for women in farming, fisheries, and poultry in clusters of 10 to 20 people.

Representatives of Keystone Bank pledged to support women in opening bank accounts to strengthen financial inclusion.
Hajia Ramatu Ibrahim, The Vice President (Northwest) of Africa Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative, Mrs. Ramatu Ibrahim, offered free facilitation services to support awareness and capacity-building among women entrepreneurs.

In her closing remarks, Mrs. Lami Usman, Director of Gender Affairs at MHSSD, reaffirmed the ministry’s dedication to working with all stakeholders to ensure the WEE policy does not remain a document but translates into measurable improvements in women’s livelihoods, business growth, and leadership representation.
She urged participants to go beyond the workshop and become ambassadors for women’s economic empowerment across Kaduna State.

The workshop concluded with Dev-Afrique outlining the next steps, which included targeted sensitisation sessions for MDAs and advancing policy integration through designated policy champions in the coming months.
It successfully illuminated key challenges, opportunities, and collaborative avenues for advancing the Kaduna State WEE Policy, underscoring the critical need for inclusive participation, sustainable strategies, and cross-sectoral partnerships to accelerate the economic empowerment of women across the state.