Shortly after the launching of the drive for the domestication of the National Women’s Economic Empowerment Policy on the 16th of April 2024, where seven commissioners from the six geo-political zones attended, a delegation led by the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos, met with the Kaduna State Commissioner for Human Services, Hajiya Rabi Salisu to follow-up on the domestication of the policy in the state.
The follow-up meeting, a crucial step in the process, took place on the 29th of April, 2024. Its purpose was to brief the Commissioner about the ongoing efforts to ensure the policy is domesticated at the subnational levels.
The dRPC and NIPSS delegation was led by Professor Linda Kwon-Dung, who described the adoption and domestication of the National WEE policy as the commitment to the economic development of Nigeria’s women and girls.
She also reminded the Commissioner that the ministry had already established an action plan that spelled out activities the state would do to implement domestication as a guide for the operationalization of the policy.
Some of the activities Kaduna State has lined up to commence the domestication of the National WEE policy are:
- A brief report and design of a concept note for presentation to the Executive Governor and the State Executive Council
- A map of the key core team will be drawn from relevant stakeholders and WEE national policy team members to lead the implementation process.
- The KDSMOHS conducts an FGD with women groups to collate their views and input into the policy
- Mobilization of larger stakeholders to present findings from the FGD and key elements of the WEE policy
- Compilation of key recommendations from stakeholders to form the pillars of the state WEE policy
- Development of a draft copy of the state WEE policy and presentation to the SEC for approval
In her response, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Human Services, Hajiya Rabi Salisu, commended the efforts of dRPC and NIPSS in pushing for the domestication of the National WEE policy and described the follow-up visit to the state as timely.
The Commissioner, who also assured the delegation of the state’s readiness to domesticate and implement the policy to the letter, added that the ministry has commenced the implementation process immediately after the Abuja meeting.
Hajiya Rabi added that a memo has already been sent to the state Governor for approval to set up a mechanism for domesticating the policy in the state to serve as a guide to the already established plans for the development of women and girls in the state.
OUTCOME OF THE FOLLOW-UP MEETING
- A Memo for the domestication policy is with the State Governor
- The Commissioner of Human Services, Kaduna State will follow up with the memo and brief the state executive council on the domestication process
- An approval of the Governor will be pursued to set in accelerated implementation of the domestication process
- Kaduna promised to be the first state to domesticate the policy in line with the vision of the present administration in the state
- A core team membership of the domestication process will be set up by the state’s ministry of Human Services
