AdvoKC Foundation Urges Kaduna Governor Uba Sani to Increase Women’s Empowerment Fund As Promised

AdvoKC Foundation, on Thursday, called on Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani to increase the Kaduna State Women Empowerment Fund (KADSWEF), a pledge the governor made to citizens during his campaigns.

This was contained in a press statement obtained by West Africa Weekly. The statement which was signed by the Communications Manager for the civic-tech organisation, Luqman Adamu, cited a decline compared with the previous governor, Nasir El-Rufai.

In his manifesto, Governor Uba Sani outlined that ‘to promote women’s participation in the MSME businesses, we will steadily increase the basket of funds available in the Kaduna State Women Empowerment Fund (KADSWEF) every year,’ the statement reads partly.

KADSWEF fund, established during El-Rufai’s tenure as governor, was aimed at promoting women’s participation in Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs), which help contribute to the state’s economic development and reduce the poverty rate.

However, AdvoKC, which tracks political promises for fulfilment purposes and accountability, highlighted a disparity in KADSWEF allocation, showing a decline in funding allocated in the 2023 budget.

According to the 2023 budget, KADSWEF received ₦200.8 million, showing a disparity of ₦827,500, as the women’s initiative was allocated to receive ₦200 million in the 2024 budget.

With this, AdvoKC argued that the state prioritised non-socio-economic items in the state budget, citing ‘Purchase of Motor Vehicles for ₦141.7 million in 2023, which rose to ₦250 million in 2024.

AdvoKC also noted the purchase of state assembly books and equipment ₦2.3 million in 2023 but increased to ₦30.1 million in 2024.

The youth-led organisation urged Governor Sani to fulfil the promise he made during the campaign by prioritising the increase in budgetary allocation for KADSWEF in 2025, especially as a much lower amount – ₦198.6 million has been earmarked for KADSWEF in the 2025 Draft Estimate.

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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