Kano to domesticate policy on women’s welfare

Kano State government has unveiled plan to domesticate national policy on Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) with a view to restoring dignity and reducing economic deprivation among women folk in the state.

The Federal Government recently rolled out the WEE policy framework to upscale social economic status of women, affording equal opportunities to enable the gender harness their full potential in the society.

The policy, which also conforms to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 5, seeks to eliminate all form of violence, discrimination, exploitation and deprivation against women and girls in the country.

Although, the national policy and its action plan are not yet institutional with strategic working structure and operational framework, sub-units of the federation are required to adopt and legalise the document before the entire concept materialises.

At a Citizen Engagement, organised by the State Ministry of Women Affairs, supported by Development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) for domestication of WEE policy in Kano, stakeholders held that the action plan would promote positive changes in the lives of women.

Participants drawn from various segments, including religious and traditional rulers, non-governmental organisations, women advocacy groups and People Living with Disabilities (PWDs), applauded the intervention.

Some of the stakeholders however identified gaps and areas that should be reconstructed in the WEE policy to make it adaptable to peculiarities of Kano.
Chairman, High Level Women Advocate for Girls Child Education in Kano, Prof. Aisha Abdul Ismail, observed that though the policy design is suitable as national document, but making WEE a workable action plan in states like Kano, it must be in conformity with culture and religion.

Citing the aspect of accessiblity of loan facility from financial institutions as provided in the WEE policy, an economist, Dr Abdulsalam Kane, stressed the position of Islamic religion that kicked against obtaining loan conditioned on interest.

Kane hinted that participants must develop alternative strategy that would dismantle observed barriers before domestication. The Commissioner for Women Affairs, Aisha Saji, who regretted that significant percentage of women in Kano are still vulnerable to economic deprivation, poverty and domestic violence, assured the commitment of state government to domesticating the WEE policy.

She reminded that prior to implementation of WEE, the state government had already prioritised women empowerment with monthly distribution of N50,000 each to 5,200 women to reduce poverty.

dRPC’s Programme officer, Ahmad Umar said the centre is providing platform for stakeholders across borders to x-ray the policy with a view to making it suit culture, norms and religious value of Kano.