As part of efforts to sensitise members of the Kano state executive council about the ongoing women’s economic empowerment policy domestication in the state, the Kano state Ministry of Women Affairs, Children and the Disabled has organised a one-day socialisation workshop for Seven Commissioners from the state, and members of the state’s House of Assembly.

The socialisation workshop is part of the domestication process aimed at mobilising and garnering support for the domestication of the policy in Kano state.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, represented by the director of the ministry’s economic services department, Mrs. Blessing Anunike, who declared the WEE domestication retreat open, described the WEE policy as a strategic tool and coordinating framework designed to guide the government and partners in effectively supporting women’s economic advancement.

“The beauty of the WEE Policy is that it doesn’t operate in a vacuum. It serves as a holistic, multi-sectoral blueprint to empower Nigerian women and close the gender gap,” she stated.

She commended the Kano State government for its proactive efforts.

“Kano is taking the lead in what we hope will become a national movement to empower women economically across sectors such as health, education, agriculture, and commerce,” she said.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim also highlighted the establishment of a High-Level Advisory Council (HLAC) to oversee implementation, noting that it consists of “credible and innovative actors from government, private industry, and civil society.”

The Kano Women’s Economic Empowerment (Kano WEE) Policy, supported by the development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC), Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF), WEE Catalyst Fund Partners, Fable Advisory, and the Isa Wali Empowerment Initiative (IWEI) in Abuja.

The highlight of the retreat was the action plan developed for the review, presentation of the policy at the Kano state executive council, production, and launching timelines.