Zaharaddeen Ishaq Abubakar | Katsina Times, October 4, 2026
Vice-President Kashim Shettima has flagged off the disbursement of the Community Investment Fund (CIF) under the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up (NFWP-SU), with more than 40,000 women in Katsina State expected to benefit.
Shettima performed the flag-off on Sunday at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium, Katsina, during his official visit to the state.
He said the programme was designed to provide women with business capital to expand their enterprises, increase household incomes and strengthen their economic resilience.
The Vice-President urged beneficiaries to maintain proper records, savings discipline and collective responsibility, while calling for transparency and accountability in the management of the fund.
Governor Dikko Umar Radda said his administration had prioritised women’s economic empowerment and committed matching resources to the programme, helping to expand its coverage from six to all 34 local government areas of the state.
Radda appealed to the World Bank and other development partners for additional funding and technical support to enable the state to reach more women, particularly those in underserved communities.
A World Bank representative, Matthew Verghis, said closing gender gaps in agriculture, self-employment and wage employment could add an estimated $22.9 billion, equivalent to 5.8 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP, to the economy.
He said the $540 million NFWP-SU was being implemented across 32 states and aimed to directly reach five million women.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs, Aisha Aminu Malumfashi, said women in Katsina and Daura had formed more than 2,393 Women Affinity Groups, collectively saving over ₦310 million.
She urged beneficiaries to invest the funds in viable businesses and use the opportunity to improve their livelihoods and those of their families.
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