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Summary
955 out-of-school girls in Katsina State have graduated from skills acquisition centres now operating in nine locations. The state also improved the orphanage home with pediatricians and nutritionists, and enrolled all children in the health insurance scheme.
Over 955 adolescent girls who were once out of school in Katsina State have now completed training in vocational and life skills through the state’s expanding network of skills acquisition centres. These centres, which grew from four to nine locations in 2024 due to high demand, have become a turning point for many girls in communities like Katsina, Kaita, Baure, and Funtua.
Jamila Abdu Mani, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Girl Child Education and Child Development, said the initiative is part of broader efforts by the state to improve the lives of girls and vulnerable children through access to education, health care, and protection services. She also stated that the centres are targeting 1,000 girls across the state.
The state introduced comprehensive improvements at the Katsina Orphanage Home, including specialised medical care with paediatricians and nutritionists. Children at the home are now enrolled in the State’s Social Health Insurance Scheme to ensure they have access to continuous healthcare.
She made known the fact that the governor’s personal intervention was in the case of a baby girl born with four legs in Bujawa, Mani Local Government Area. The child received successful corrective surgery at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Katsina.
In the area of gender-based violence response, a Sexual Assault Referral Centre known as NASIHA was set up to offer medical, legal, and psychosocial support to survivors. The centre is staffed with a full clinical team, including nurses and obstetrician/gynaecologists, and works in collaboration with the Association of Female Medical Doctors.
She further mentioned that a new Home Economics Laboratory was constructed and fully equipped at the Girls Skills Acquisition Centre in Katsina. The government awarded scholarships to three abandoned pupils in Mani LGA and also donated a tricycle to a physically challenged pupil in Kankia.
She noted that an Almajiri boy from Zango LGA recently underwent surgery for Osteosarcoma with intracranial extension at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital.
She added that through collaboration with UNICEF, the state has recorded clear results in improving child welfare. One of these includes the development of policy guidelines for the alternative care of children in Katsina State.
According to her, 1,393 vulnerable children have been returned to school through the Integrated Adolescent Girls Programming (REACH). Behaviour change campaigns on child marriage also reached 6,120 children across 180 communities.
In Katsina LGA, 800 vulnerable girls are currently part of safe spaces and mentorship programmes. The partnership with UNICEF has also introduced robotics, waste management, and life skills training for Almajiri and out-of-school girls.
A new law now prohibits child hawking during school hours, a step aimed at protecting children’s right to education.
She said that the administration organised four-day capacity-building workshops for members of the Children’s Parliament in all 34 Local Government Areas, Girls-Led Movement participants, and Safe Space mentors. The workshop focused on advocacy and community engagement skills.
According to her, these efforts are improving the lives of children and adolescent girls across the state.
