Women non-government organisations (NGOs) have held a strategic advocacy and awareness campaign session aimed at accelerating the domestication of the National Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy in Kano State.
The event was hosted by Fable Advisory and the Isa Wali Empowerment Initiative (IWEI) in collaboration with the WEE Policy Catalyst Fund with support from Albright Stonebridge Group (ASG).
The one-day workshop was held at Babale Suites in Kano and it focused on women’s empowerment as part of the National Women’s Economic Empowerment Policy and Action Plan. It also brought together influential leaders from the creative and digital industries to explore practical ways of integrating the WEE Policy into Kano’s fast-growing sectors.
The national women’s economic empowerment policy is a strategic roadmap for advancing the WEE policy in Nigeria which was developed through a year-long dialogue facilitated by the Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs (FMWA) and the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning (FMFBNP).
The workshop also had stakeholders from Learning Hubs and representatives from government and the private sector, and it focused on the Emerging Industries section of the WEE Policy; and it also highlighted how women in Kano State can benefit from opportunities in the digital economy and creative industries.
The Deputy Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Ministry of Women Affairs, Nafisah Kabeer Yassai, who spoke at the event said, “I thoroughly enjoyed this engagement and I hope that women benefit from it. I am also really excited for what is to come.”
Also speaking, Umar Gombe, a renowned Kannywood actor and filmmaker, said he was “confident that change is coming because the future is female.”
Lauding the session, the Director, Centre for Gender Studies, Bayero University, Kano, Dr. Safiya Ahmad Nuhu, said “this initiative is incredibly impressive to me, and I’m thrilled to see it taking shape.”
A statement by the Head of Media, Eve Maja, said representatives from the state’s Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and the Ministry of Women, Children and Disabled attended while private sector organisations like the Development, Research and Projects Centre (dRPC), Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF), working on the domestication of the National WEE policy in Kano State, were also represented.
Maja said the stakeholders expressed the belief that “the collective efforts of participants marked a significant step towards empowering women economically and promoting gender-responsive economic growth in the core northern city.”
Maja also stated that the meeting agreed at a review of the policy and proposed strategies including strengthening partnerships between government and private sectors, creating accountability mechanisms for policy implementation and continuous engagement of local stakeholders to sustain progress.
According to her, the workshop successfully raised awareness about the importance of the WEE Policy and its potential impact on advancing women’s economic empowerment in Kano State.
Participants from creative industries and digital learning hubs committed to collaborating closely to ensure effective domestication of the policy at the local level while the event also fostered the development of innovative, evidence-based strategies specifically tailored to localise the WEE Policy to fit Kano’s unique socio-economic landscape.
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