Women’s affairs commissioner Rabi Salisu says N5 billion has been allocated in the 2025 budget for women’s economic empowerment grants in Kaduna.

She announced this in Katsina on Wednesday at the launch of a two-day North-West governors’ meeting on the Nigeria For Women Project Scale-Up Summit.

According to her, the fund will support the implementation of the Women’s Economic Empowerment Policy, launched in October 2024.

By October 2025, the grant will have been disbursed to 20,850 women across Kaduna State under the empowerment programme.

She added that over 800 out-of-school adolescent girls have received vocational training, including literacy and numeracy skills, as well as starter kits to initiate their trades.

She stated that women have also been supported with modern farming techniques, free fertiliser, education, and maternal and child healthcare services.

The Kaduna government continues to pursue its economic empowerment initiatives, offering capital through Kd-Cares and start-up funds for rural women.

Ms Salihu said around 5,000 women have been trained in digital literacy, AI, agriculture, and entrepreneurship as part of ongoing skill development.

She noted the programme was run by Data Science Nigeria and Arewa Tech4Ladies, focusing on semi-urban and rural communities in the state.

The programme offers mentoring, job placement, and tailored training in a supportive learning environment for women.

Ms Salihu said the agricultural revitalisation drive has achieved success, especially in supporting rural women farmers across the state.

She added that rural women received 15,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser and benefited from ‘A Koma Gona’ and AA Comma initiatives.

These initiatives targeted 40,000 women and smallholder farmers in collaboration with the World Bank and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The government also allocated N200 million as seed funding to create jobs for 10,780 women across the state.

“All these women benefited from last year’s budget. This year’s allocation has increased to further boost women’s empowerment,” she said.

(NAN)