The Nigerian Government is set to empower about 8,000 women across the 44 local Government Councils in Kano State under the ongoing Federal Government Cash Grant for Rural Women Project.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, stated this during the flag-off ceremony of the project in Kano State.
Speaking through her Representative, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali, the Minister stated that the project was introduced in 2020 to sustain the social inclusion agenda of President Buhari’s administration.
“It is designed to provide a one-off grant to some of the poorest and most vulnerable women in rural and peri-urban areas of the country.
“A cash grant of N20,000 will be disbursed to about 125,000 poor women across the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory”
The Minister said the grant is expected to increase the income and productive assets of target beneficiaries. She urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the grant to generally contribute towards improving their living standards.
The Executive Governor of Kano State, His Excellency, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, in his remarks, commended the administration of President Muhammad Buhari for initiating programmes that are geared towards the uplifting of the plight of the poor and vulnerable in the society, especially women and children.
He appreciated the Ministry for given Kano State a reasonable slot of the project for rural women of Kano state. Under the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), the Governor appreciated the enrolment of additional thirty-five thousand beneficiaries from the fifteen Local government areas of the State and appealed to the Minister to approve the enrolment of the remaining 35,000 beneficiaries from these LGAs.
The Governor who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Yusuf Nasiru Gawuna, also requested for the expansion of the State Social Register to accommodate the remaining 29 LGAs of the State as well as additional beneficiaries of the Loan (Trader Moni, Market Moni and Farmer Moni) in the next round of the programme, among others.
FMIC/Nnenna.O
