From Muawuya Bala Idris, Katsina
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with the Katsina State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), has launched the Skills4Girls Programme aimed at equipping 35,000 adolescent girls in Katsina State with employable and entrepreneurial skills for self-reliance.
The programme is being piloted exclusively in Katsina State to address the challenges faced by out-of-school adolescent girls.
Speaking at the launch of the programme and opening of a co-creation workshop held at the Katsina Tourist Camp, UNICEF Adolescent Development Specialist, Ngozi Izuora-Songu, told reporters that the initiative was designed to ensure that girls acquire practical skills that would be useful beyond the classroom and enable them to contribute positively to their communities.
“The whole idea is to make sure that girls acquire skills that will help them earn a livelihood and contribute meaningfully to society,” she said.
Izuora-Songu explained that while interventions such as the Girls Education Project (GEP) and the REACH project focused partly on school transition and completion, Skills4Girls builds on the achievements of previous projects and goes a step further by empowering girls economically.
She disclosed that the programme would run from 2026 to 2029 and is expected to reach 35,000 girls between the ages of 10 and 19 across Katsina, Funtua, Kaita and Dutsi Local Government Areas.
She further stated that girls living with disabilities would also be trained to ensure inclusive access to valuable skills.
The programme will also engage 7,500 boys and young men, as well as 5,000 parents, mentors, trainers and community leaders, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to 47,500.
In his remarks, the Chairman of Katsina State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr Kabir Gafia, said the Board would play its role fully in ensuring the success of the programme.
“Katsina State Government welcomes this programme very much, as its objectives are in line with the state government’s ‘Building Your Future’ agenda.
The state government has been training youths and adolescents in various skills for self-reliance,” Gafia said.
He listed possible skills under the programme to include the production of pomade, soap, detergents and deodorants, as well as sewing, knitting, phone and electronics repairs, and ICT skills, among others.
Gafia urged adolescent girls and other target beneficiaries to take full advantage of the programme.
