Shettima flags off women’s empowerment fund in Katsina, inaugurates buses

Abdullateef Fowewe

Vice President Kashim Shettima has advocated for a stronger economic environment for Nigerian women, declaring that the country “owes them an economy worthy of their labour,” as he flagged off a major Community Investment Fund (CIF) disbursement under the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up project.

This was known in a statement signed by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant To The President on Media & Communications (Office of The Vice President).

Speaking at Muhammadu Dikko Stadium in Katsina, Shettima said women have long “carried heavy responsibilities with limited means” and that their ambition “should now have more room to flourish.”

Over 40,000 women in the state are eligible to receive business capital after meeting savings and group performance conditions.

“Our daughters should inherit their mothers’ determination without inheriting every obstacle their mothers endured,” the Vice President said.

“That is another reason to make this programme succeed. The girl who watches a business grow in her own household learns that skill can yield an income, and that ambition can survive contact with adversity.”

Shettima linked the initiative to the economic reforms of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, stressing that national policy must improve the earning capacity of ordinary citizens.

“We must connect national policy to the circumstances of the trader, the producer and the service provider.

“Our task is to make their effort more rewarding, so that the pursuit of national growth becomes intelligible in the accounts of an ordinary household,” he said.

During the same visit, the Vice President inaugurated 32 compressed natural gas-powered buses and 200 electric-powered tricycles under the Katsina State Comprehensive Urban Renewal Programme.

He also commissioned several completed road projects aimed at improving traffic flow and urban mobility in the state capital.

Katsina State Governor Dikko Umaru Radda announced that the state has committed an additional ₦4 billion to the Nigeria for Women Programme, bringing its total contribution to ₦8 billion.

He highlighted the inclusion of women with hearing impairment through affinity groups as a positive development.

World Bank Country Director for Nigeria Matthew Verghis commended the federal and state governments for addressing women’s economic needs and called for broader support from the private sector and traditional institutions.

Shettima also witnessed the reception of several political figures into the All Progressives Congress, including former Secretary to the Katsina State Government Dr Mustapha Inuwa and a number of National and State Assembly aspirants from opposition parties.