Kano Launches Women Economic Empowerment Policy: A Story of Possibility and Action

“… Increasingly competitive times demand that we harness the intelligence, resilience, and productivity of our women. A prosperous Kano cannot be built on the marginalization of half of its population.” – HRH Khalifa Muhammad Sanusi II, CoN, Ph.D. 

Kano state officially launched the Women Economic Empowerment Policy (KanoWEEPolicy) on a sunny Monday, March 9, 2026, at the Amani Event Centre. Over 200 attendees, including policymakers, traditional and religious leaders, women entrepreneurs, civil society actors, and community members, gathered to witness a milestone in the state’s journey toward inclusive growth. For many, this launch represented more than a policy; it was a promise of opportunity, recognition, and empowerment.

Kano is home to over 16 million people and has long been a hub of commerce, culture, and innovation in Nigeria and in Africa. Women have always been central to its economic life: they farm, trade, run small businesses, sew, braid, process food, and contribute in countless ways to household and community livelihoods. Yet structural barriers like limited access to finance, lack of collateral, low digital literacy, and heavy unpaid domestic responsibilities, have constrained how far women can grow and formalize their enterprises.

The KanoWEEPolicy addresses these realities directly. Representing the Kano State Governor at the launch was the Commissioner of Rural and Community Development, Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, who emphasized the Kano state government’s commitment to advancing and implementing the policy. He said the government was aiming to promote a people-centered governance and that women are at the heart of it.

Abdulkadir Abdulsalam

“This policy is firmly rooted in our blueprint and reflects the determination to ensure that governance is people-centered, anchored on dignity, justice, and opportunity for all.” – Abdulkadir Abdulsalam

A Policy Shaped Through Collaboration

The journey to this launch was one of collaboration, consultation, and careful design under the guidance and support of the WEE Catalyst Fund (comprising Isa Wali Empowerment Initiative and Fable Advisory), funded by the Gates Foundation through the Albright Stonebridge Group, the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund, and the Development Research and Projects Centre to support evidence-based women’s economic empowerment policies across Nigeria.

We worked closely with the Kano State Government through the ministry of women affairs, children and persons with special needs to adapt the national women’s economic empowerment framework to Kano’s unique social, cultural, and economic realities. 

L- R: Mrs. Rakiya Sarki (IWEI Board member), Hajiya Amina Abdullahi (Commissioner of WOmen Affairs, Children and Persons with Special Needs) and, Mrs. Maryam Uwais OON (Founder, IWEI)

This involved months of engagement that required reviewing and contextualizing the policy for Kano State; consulting ministries, agencies, and local institutions; convening dialogues with civil society and community leaders; bringing the lived experiences of women entrepreneurs into policy discussions and engaging religious and traditional authorities to ensure cultural alignment.

Maryam Uwais, founder of IWEI, reflected on the significance of the policy, by reminding us that; “The true value of this policy will not be in the document itself, but in the doors it opens for women and girls across our communities.”

This policy reflects both national priorities and grassroots realities, ensuring that women’s economic empowerment is practical, culturally grounded, and actionable.

But what even is the policy? We should know it, if we are to act on it.

At the heart of the KanoWEEPolicy are five strategic areas of focus, designed to strengthen women’s participation in all aspects of the economy:

1. Women in Agriculture: Supporting access to farmland, agricultural inputs, irrigation, and strengthening women-led agribusinesses.
2. Women in Entrepreneurship: Enhancing access to finance, business formalization, and support for micro, small, and medium enterprises.
3. Women in the Traditional Labour Market: Promoting workplace equity, expanding women’s participation, and addressing harassment or discrimination.
4. Women in Emerging Industries: Encouraging participation in technology, digital, STEM, and creative sectors.
5. Women in Education and Skills Development: Expanding vocational and technical training to equip women with market-relevant skills.

Cross-cutting priorities like financial inclusion, digital access, supportive community systems, workplace protection, and gender-responsive governance ensure that women have the tools and environment to thrive, not just opportunities on paper. But as Rinmicit Temlong A. from the Albright Stonebridge group highlighted; “A policy on paper is just a promise. A policy in action is transformation.”

Voices of Support and Collaboration

Throughout the launch, speakers highlighted that collective effort would be the ingredient that turns the policy into action.

Already, Bridge Connect Africa, a sister-organisation in Kano has committed to translating the policy into Hausa and supporting its dissemination, to make it accessible to everyone. The Emir has committed to using the emirate to create grassroot awareness on the policy and continue to inform Kano citizens of the importance of equipping women and girls with the skills they need to thrive in the economy.

Rinmicit Temlong, from the Albright Stonebridge Group, who had supported us throughout the domestication process, shared that the Group believes when women thrive, the economy of Kano soars. She emphasized their committment to ensuring the policy is fully implemented, noting that the work of costing the policy to understand what it will take to implement has already begun. Rinmicit described ASG’s vision as “supporting a system that ensures financial inclusion, productivity, and sustainability,” and highlighted that their technical support through the Catalyst Fund will continue beyond the launch, actively guiding the policy through its implementation phase.

L – R: Mrs Amina Hanga (Executive Director – IWEI), Rinmicit Temlong (Gender Consultant – Albright Stonebridge Group)

Other partners like Taj Bank, Alternative banks, Phoenix Renewable Energy pledged support in forms of ensuring financial sustainability, building women’s capacities to innovate and generate employment etc.

But all these would be castles in the air without the ministry as foundation. To coordinate implementation, the Ministry of Women Affairs, Children, and Persons with Special Needs confirmed that resources have already been allocated, signaling a strong commitment to ensure the policy moves beyond the pages of a document.

“We have already begun to translate this vision into reality.” -Muhammad Sambo Iliyasu (Perm. Secretary rep. Commissioner of Women Affairs)

The Federal ministry also pledged to support with guidance and monitoring to ensure measurable progress.

Looking Ahead: Turning Policy into Action

The launch also featured a moving creative performance by two secondary school girls, Rabiat and Rahama, who recited poems celebrating the transformative power of women’s economic participation. Their words reflected the perspective of Haj. Hauwa of AECF, who reminded the audience that: “Women’s economic empowerment is not a woman’s issue, but a development issue.”

This makes clear that the KanoWEEPolicy is not an endpoint, but the beginning of a journey. Its success will depend on sustained, collaborative effort between government, civil society, communities, and partners like IWEI

The story of this launch is one of possibility, recognition, and transformation. For Kano, it represents an opportunity to unlock the full potential of its women, to foster resilient families, thriving communities, and a prosperous state.

The KanoWEEPolicy is a roadmap for action, a framework for inclusion, and a call to collective responsibility. With the momentum of this launch, Kano takes a decisive step toward a future where women’s economic empowerment is a lived reality for generations to come.

written by Nana Sule (Media and Communications Officer – IWEI)