The Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project has trained a total of 148,784 female students across all 44 local government areas of Kano State on life skills, as part of efforts to promote access, retention, and completion of girls’ education.
The milestone was shared during an engagement meeting with Ulama and Juma’at mosque Imams held in Kano, aimed at strengthening collaboration with religious leaders to enhance community support for the project.
Speaking during the session, the Deputy AGILE Project Coordinator, Malam Ahmed Jibril Musa, said the life skills training was successfully implemented through the engagement of 60 mentors and 2,234 facilitators across 340 schools who cascaded the training to the students.
He added that the project has provided 2,500 computers, internet and solar facilities, projectors, and screens to 25 schools in order to promote digital literacy and remote learning opportunities for girls.
According to Musa, other achievements under the project include financial incentives through Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs), grants for 1,228 secondary school projects, the reenrolment of 8,700 girls who had previously dropped out, and the implementation of second-chance education initiatives for adolescent girls.
In her welcome address, the lead social norms component, who doubles as Director of Educational Support Services, Hajiya Halima Sadiya Tukur, described Ulama and mosque Imams as vital catalysts in improving enrollment, retention, and completion of girls’ education.
She explained that the absence of religious engagement during the initial stages of the AGILE project contributed to some of the challenges faced in Kano, and commended the impressive turnout of Ulama and Imams at the event, noting that it reflects their growing understanding and support for the project’s objectives.
Delivering a goodwill message, the Commissioner II at the Kano State Sharia Commission, Sheikh Ali Dan Abba, urged the project coordinators to ensure that all aspects of the AGILE initiative align with religious teachings and cultural values of the communities for better acceptance and sustainability.
He emphasized the need for continuous dialogue between project stakeholders and religious leaders to achieve the desired outcomes in promoting girls’ education and empowerment across the state.
Other speakers, including representatives from the Kano State Hisbah Board, the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN), Kano State accountability forum on education (K-Safe) commended the initiative and pledged continued support toward promoting girls’ education and empowerment in line with Islamic and community values.
Khadijah Aliyu
