Kano Women Demand More Inclusion In Governance

A group of women have stormed the Kano State Government House seeking for more inclusion in government and empowerment for women and girls.

The group’s leader, Jamila Musa, urged the state government to implement policies and programmes that promote girls’ education, ensure equal employment opportunities, provide access to financial services and resources, increase women’s representation in decision-making processes and as well as combat gender-based violence.

In her speech, Musa said the walk to the Government House was done in commemoration of the International Women’s Day (IWD), which has the theme: “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress” to push for more women inclusion.

She said, “While we recognise the progress made by the state in increasing girls’ access to education, disparities still exist. Girls are more likely to drop out of school due to factors such as early marriage, poverty, and cultural norms. Limited access to quality education limits women’s opportunities for socio-economic advancement.

“Nevertheless, this is still beyond the threshold, according to UNICEF (2023), the state recorded a 37 percent girl’s child literacy level. Girls’ child education is the only way to address myriad social, health and economic problems.

“Women make enormous contributions to economies, whether in businesses, on farms, as entrepreneurs or employees, or by doing unpaid care work at home. But they also remain disproportionately affected by poverty, discrimination, and exploitation.

“The gender gap in socio-economic empowerment remains a significant challenge in Kano, despite efforts to promote gender equality/equity and women’s empowerment,” she noted.

Musa also called for action to break down barriers and create environments for women’s socioeconomic development and girls’ education by encouraging everyone to recognize the unique perspectives and contributions of women from all walks of life.

The executive director, Dispute Resolution and Development Initiative, Dr Mustapha Yahaya, who was part of the walk, said in the past 20 months with funding from Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF), the group has handed three vocational skills equipment worth N40 million ($53.333) over to 300 youths and women in Kano State under the Systems and Structure Strengthening Approach against Radicalisation to Violent Extremism (SARVE III).

She said the beneficiaries from 12 communities in six local government areas were trained on tailoring, rice processing and groundnut oil processing.

While receiving the women at the Government House, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, who was represented by the chief of staff, Shehu Wada Sagagi, said as part of his commitment to affairs of women, his administration had slated March 8 to start its empowerment programme for them in the state’s 44 local government areas.

He said 100 women will be empowered from each local government area, adding that the government would increase the number of girl-child literacy in the state from 37 percent to over 60 percent in his first term in office.

 The governor said he had appointed women as commissioner, special assistants, senior special assistants, senior reporters, senior special reporters among others.