Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
Vice President Kashim Shettima is set to launch the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up in Katsina State on Sunday, October 4, 2026, flagging off the Community Investment Fund that will provide direct financial support to 57,432 women across Daura and Funtua Local Government Areas. The initiative, described by state officials as a transformative intervention, is designed to expand economic opportunities, strengthen livelihoods and reduce poverty among poor and vulnerable households. The launch marks a significant milestone in the Federal Government's broader efforts to deepen women's participation in economic activities across Nigeria.
The Katsina State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajia Aisha Aminu Malumfashi, disclosed the details at a press conference in Katsina ahead of the launch, saying the fund will provide direct financial support to women, particularly those from poor and vulnerable households. "Beneficiaries will be organised into Women Affinity Groups, where they will build savings, access financial and non-financial services, strengthen their businesses and connect to wider markets," she said. Under the programme framework, the Women Affinity Groups will serve as platforms through which women can build social capital, improve their access to financial services and develop the enterprise skills needed to grow their businesses. The model reflects a growing recognition that direct cash transfers, while important, are most effective when combined with structured support systems that help recipients develop the capacity to manage and grow the funds they receive.
The World Bank Senior Social Development Specialist and Task Team Leader for the Nigeria for Women Programme, Michael Ilesanmi, said the initiative was deliberately inclusive and open to every eligible woman aged 18 years and above, including persons with disabilities. "Every woman aged 18 and above in the implementing communities is eligible to participate," Ilesanmi said. "The programme is intentionally inclusive, reaching vulnerable groups including persons with disabilities, who are already participating actively and excelling in Katsina State. Regardless of background, every eligible woman can join." He explained that the programme will equip women with financial literacy, enterprise development skills and improved access to finance, markets and productive opportunities while helping them overcome social barriers that limit economic participation. The programme will also strengthen the resilience of women to climate change by supporting sustainable livelihood activities capable of generating income and improving household welfare.
The scale of the intervention in Katsina is substantial. Ilesanmi commended the Katsina State Government for expanding the programme from an initial six Local Government Areas to all 34 LGAs and revealed that the state had committed over eight point five billion naira in counterpart funding over the past two years, with additional funding already earmarked in the next budget. The expanded programme is expected to reach nearly 800,000 women across Katsina State, making it one of the largest women-focused economic empowerment initiatives in the country. The programme is implemented through a partnership involving the Federal Government, the Katsina State Government, the World Bank, financial institutions, communities, women's groups and other development partners, and is expected to usher in a new era of financial inclusion, enterprise development and economic empowerment for women across the state.
The launch of the Community Investment Fund in Katsina is part of the broader Nigeria for Women Programme, a World Bank-supported initiative that has been operating in Nigeria since 2018. The programme was designed to improve women's livelihoods by organising them into affinity groups, providing them with access to financial services and enterprise development support, and strengthening their collective capacity to participate in economic activities. In February 2026, Vice President Shettima, representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, officially launched the scale-up of the programme with the introduction of the Happy Woman App, a digital platform aimed at empowering 25 million women across Nigeria. The scale-up phase has seen states allocate dedicated funding to support implementation, with Katsina among the states that have committed substantial counterpart resources. The programme has also been adapted to address climate resilience, recognising that women in northern Nigeria are disproportionately affected by climate-related shocks that threaten agricultural livelihoods and household food security.
Katsina State's commitment to the programme reflects a broader policy emphasis on women's economic empowerment as a driver of poverty reduction and inclusive growth. The state government has framed the expansion of the programme to all 34 local government areas as evidence of its determination to ensure that women in rural communities have access to the financial resources and support structures they need to improve their lives. In addition to the Community Investment Fund, Katsina State has also launched a separate five point five billion naira Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Fund and pledged a six-month mentorship programme for entrepreneurs, signalling a multi-pronged approach to economic empowerment that combines direct financial support with business development services. Vice President Shettima has applauded the Katsina Economic Development Agency model, describing it as a template for other states to follow.
The political context of the launch is significant. The 2027 general elections are less than four months away, and the ruling All Progressives Congress is seeking to consolidate its support in the North-West, a region with the largest voting population in the country. President Tinubu is seeking a second term on the APC platform, and the launch of a major economic empowerment programme in Katsina, the home state of President Umaru Yar'Adua and a key political battleground, carries both developmental and political significance. The involvement of the World Bank and the scale of the state's counterpart funding provide a measure of credibility that distinguishes the programme from purely political interventions.
For the 57,432 women expected to receive direct financial support, the Community Investment Fund represents an immediate injection of resources that can be used to start or expand small businesses, purchase agricultural inputs, pay school fees or meet other household needs. For the wider population of nearly 800,000 women expected to benefit from the expanded programme, it offers the prospect of sustained support through affinity groups, financial literacy training and access to markets. For Katsina State, the programme is an opportunity to demonstrate that the expansion of women's economic participation can translate into measurable reductions in poverty and improvements in household welfare. As Commissioner Malumfashi put it, the initiative will deepen women's participation in economic activities through direct financial assistance and community-based support structures. The coming months will determine whether the promises of financial inclusion and enterprise development materialise for the women of Daura and Funtua, and whether the programme becomes a model for the rest of Nigeria.
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