The Katsina State Government says it has registered no fewer than 400,000 women across the 34 Local Government Areas of the state for empowerment.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajiya Zainab Musa-Musawa, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Katsina on Thursday.
She stated that as part of the State Government’s commitment to women empowerment, no fewer than 7,000 cooperative groups were also registered.
Musa-Musawa said that on that premise, the government had met the World Bank Nigeria women empowerment project criteria, which would last for five years.
As part of the empowerment process, the State Government planned to revive about four cottage centres in the state.
She disclosed that the centres are Ajiwa pottery centre, Daura Bakery centre, Kankia oil extraction and Malumfashi grain processing centres.
The commissioner said that the aim of reviving the centres was for the empowerment.
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She also disclosed that government was targeting to make Katsina an oil and pottery producing state as well as best bakery and grain processing centre.
Musa-Musawa noted that Gov. Dikko Radda had established Katsina State Enterprise Development Agency to prove government’s commitment to empowerment.
She added that the ministry is going to partner with the agency to ensure the empowerment of Small and Medium Enterprises women operators in the state.
“The State Government is making effort on a lot of women empowerment programmes in the state, especially on agriculture and SME.
“I assure you that women will always form a percentage on the total figure of any state, Federal and World Bank empowerment that would come to the state.
“We are also going to leverage the World Bank empowerment project.
“It’s a very beautiful programme to be spread across the 34 LGAs of the state.
“And this is a grant that’s going to be provided. It’s about N60,000 for each to be financially included.
“The women have to commit themselves and fulfill certain criteria before qualifying for the grant.
“The grant encompasses educational and health support for the benefiting women across the state”, the commissioner said.
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