By Taibat Ummi Yakubu
The Katsina State Government has committed N8.5 billion in counterpart funding to expand the Nigeria for Women Programme, with the intervention now expected to reach at least 800,000 women across the state’s 34 local government areas.
The disclosure was made on Friday in Katsina by Michael Ilesanmi, Senior Social Development Specialist and Task Team Leader, who said the money represented funds actually released by the state government over the past two years and not merely an allocation contained in the budget.
Ilesanmi said the state’s financial commitment had significantly changed the scale of the programme, allowing it to move beyond the six local government areas initially earmarked for the pilot phase and extend the intervention to all 34 LGAs.
He explained that the expansion would increase the projected number of beneficiaries from about 150,000 women under the initial plan to no fewer than 800,000.
The World Bank official also disclosed that the bank would provide an additional $15 million to support implementation of the programme in Katsina, further strengthening the financial base of the intervention.
The Nigeria for Women Programme is designed to bring poor and vulnerable women together in organised affinity groups and connect them with finance, markets, skills and other opportunities capable of improving their livelihoods.
According to Ilesanmi, the intervention will focus not only on providing access to money but also on financial literacy, savings, business planning and partnerships with financial institutions.
Women’s groups will also receive support to establish and expand income-generating activities, improve household resilience and respond more effectively to the economic and climate-related challenges confronting their communities.
Ilesanmi noted that women play a major role in Nigeria’s economy, particularly through farming, trading, food processing and small businesses, but many still struggle to access finance, productive assets, markets, skills and business networks.
He argued that removing those barriers was crucial to raising productivity, reducing poverty, generating employment and strengthening economic growth.
“Money in itself cannot address these problems, and that is why it is important to address the norms,” he said, stressing that financial assistance must be accompanied by changes in attitudes and behaviour if economic empowerment programmes are to produce lasting results.
He commended the Katsina State Government for taking ownership of the initiative and expanding it beyond the original pilot locations, describing the state as a flagship beneficiary because of its level of commitment to the programme.
Ilesanmi added that the state government would complement the economic intervention with additional services, including linking beneficiaries to health insurance, in an effort to provide broader support for participating women.
Earlier, the Katsina State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajiya Aisha Aminu-Malumfashi, announced that the Community Investment Fund component of the programme would begin disbursement on October 4.
She explained that the initiative initially operated as a pilot in Katsina, Funtua and Daura LGAs before expanding to other parts of the state.
According to the commissioner, participating women are organised into Women Affinity Groups of 25 members, where they receive training in savings, financial literacy and enterprise development.
She said mindset and behavioural change remained central to the programme because the ultimate objective was not simply to distribute funds, but to help women develop sustainable businesses, strengthen their financial independence and become more resilient.
Aminu-Malumfashi said the Community Investment Fund would enable the groups to invest in productive ventures and strengthen their sources of income.
She added that the success of the programme would ultimately be judged by tangible outcomes—including businesses established, household conditions improved, savings accumulated and new economic opportunities created—rather than by the amount of money distributed alone.
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