Vice-President Kashim Shettima has flagged off the Community Investment Fund (CIF) under the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up (NFWP-SU) in Katsina State, with more than 40,000 women set to receive business capital.
Shettima performed the flag-off on Sunday at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium, Katsina, during his official visit to the state.
He said the intervention was designed to strengthen women-owned businesses, increase household incomes, and improve economic resilience, urging beneficiaries to maintain the savings, record-keeping, and group discipline that qualified them for the program.
The Vice-President commended Governor Radda for prioritizing women and vulnerable households, saying the success of the initiative should be measured by its impact on businesses, household earnings, employment, and women’s control over economic decisions.
Governor Radda said women’s economic empowerment remained a key part of his administration’s agenda, stressing that investing in women would strengthen families and the wider state economy.
Governor Radda said the state had demonstrated ownership of the program by providing counterpart funding, helping to expand NFWP-SU from its initial three pilot local government areas to all 34 LGAs.
He appealed to the World Bank and other development partners for additional funding and technical support to enable Katsina to reach more women, particularly those in underserved communities.
Governor Radda also assured eligible Women Affinity Groups that were not part of the initial disbursement that the process would continue in phases.
The World Bank’s representative, Matthew Verghis, said investing in women could generate an additional $22.9 billion for Nigeria’s economy, equivalent to about 5.8 percent of GDP, if gender gaps in key economic sectors were closed.
Verghis said the $540 million NFWP-SU was designed to expand women’s access to finance, markets, and productive opportunities, while commending Katsina for committing counterpart resources to the program.
The program is built around Women Affinity Groups, which enable participants to save collectively, access financial services, and invest in businesses. Katsina’s participating women have already mobilized hundreds of millions of naira in savings, according to state government figures.
Governor Radda has previously said Katsina provided ₦4 billion in counterpart funding for the program and planned to extend the initiative across all 34 LGAs.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs, Aisha Aminu Malumfashi, said the program had strengthened women’s savings groups and promoted financial inclusion, urging beneficiaries to use the funds to expand their businesses and improve household welfare.
