By Abdullahi Idris, Dutse As part of its ongoing efforts to empower women and reduce poverty, the Jigawa State Government, under the leade...
By Abdullahi Idris, Dutse
As part of its ongoing efforts to empower women and reduce poverty, the Jigawa State Government, under the leadership of Governor Umar Namadi, has officially launched the state-wide JCARES Women Economic Empowerment Program in the Gwari Community of Dutse Local Government Area.
Speaking at the event, Governor Namadi expressed his pleasure in returning to the Gwari Community, just one month after commissioning the monumental Gwari Community Water Scheme. He highlighted the significance of the new Women Economic Empowerment Programme, which aims to benefit 12,600 women across the state. Each beneficiary will receive a cash grant of ₦50,000, amounting to a total of ₦630 million in economic support.
“In line with most JCARES interventions, the objective of this initiative is to expand access to livelihood support, increase social transfers, and provide grants for poor and vulnerable households,” he stated. “This initiative not only offers opportunities for women's socioeconomic empowerment but also helps to boost household consumption and improve the well-being of all family members.”
Governor Namadi reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to social justice and its 12-Point Agenda, which places a strong emphasis on youth and women empowerment as well as social protection programs.
“One of the key policy thrusts and development priorities of our administration is the pursuit of targeted youth and women empowerment and social protection programs aimed at reducing vulnerabilities and extreme poverty among the population. This aligns with our commitment to continuously improving the socioeconomic well-being of Jigawa State’s citizens, in accordance with our belief in the principles of social justice. This is indeed a central part of our 12-Point Agenda.”
He stressed the importance of focusing on women, who comprise 51% of Jigawa State’s population, to ensure their socioeconomic empowerment and enhance the welfare of their families and communities.
“Recent data indicates that nearly 51% of Jigawa State’s population of over 7.5 million people are female, meaning there are more women than men in the state. Other statistics suggest that women are more susceptible to socioeconomic vulnerabilities and bear a greater burden of poverty than men, especially given the relatively lower educational attainment among women. This makes it imperative for us to continuously pursue programs targeting the socioeconomic empowerment of women.”
The governor also announced the forthcoming launch of a new women empowerment program in collaboration with the World Bank, titled the Nigeria for Women Project. This initiative will target thousands of women, providing them with productive assets and helping them overcome institutional and market barriers to improve their livelihoods.
Governor Namadi reiterated the government’s dedication to scaling up ongoing women empowerment programs, including the revolving goat-breeding program, vocational skills and entrepreneurship development programs, and microcredit soft loans for women entrepreneurs
He urged the beneficiaries of the ₦50,000 cash grants to utilize the funds wisely to establish sustainable livelihoods.
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