By Adamu Tela Bakori
The Katsina State Government has commenced the empowerment of women engaged in small-scale businesses in Bakori Local Government Area, fulfilling a pledge made by Governor Malam Dr. Dikko Umaru Radda.
The intervention, carried out last Monday, targeted women selected from 11 wards in Bakori as part of the first batch of beneficiaries under the state’s community-based empowerment programme. Officials said additional beneficiaries would be announced in subsequent phases.
The exercise was coordinated by a committee under the Community Development Programme (CDP), led by Dr. Kamaluddeen Kabir Katsina, and formally launched by the Chairman of Bakori Local Government Council, Hon. Abubakar Musa Barde.
Speaking at the event, Barde urged beneficiaries to make proper use of the items provided rather than selling them, stressing that the goal of the programme was sustainable livelihoods. He also encouraged the women to offer their goods and services at affordable rates within their communities to ensure wider social impact.
Items distributed included bags of soybeans and cooking oil for bean cake (awara) vendors; deep freezers for cold drinks sellers; bags of groundnuts and frying pans for kuli-kuli producers; bags of rice, beans and cartons of spaghetti for food vendors; bags of millet with promises of cash support for fura and koko producers; sewing and knitting equipment with cash for tailors and weavers; and grinding machines for women involved in grain milling.
The local government chairman commended the Radda administration for its ongoing social intervention programmes, particularly its focus on supporting widows, vulnerable groups and low-income earners across the state.
Beneficiaries expressed gratitude to God and the state government for the support, describing the programme as timely and impactful. They pledged to support government policies and initiatives aimed at improving community welfare and economic development.
The empowerment scheme forms part of the Katsina State Government’s broader strategy to reduce poverty, promote self-reliance and strengthen grassroots economic activities.
Adamu Tela Bakori is the Media Aide to KTSG in Bakori Local Government
Job weldone