Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has joined the global community to celebrate the 2025 International Day of the Girl Child, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to building a future where every girl in Katsina can learn, lead, and thrive.
This year’s celebration, themed “The Girl I Am, The Change I Lead: Girls on the Frontlines of Crisis,” focuses on the courage and leadership of girls who continue to show resilience in the face of conflict, displacement, and economic hardship. It also calls on governments and communities to strengthen support for girls’ education, leadership, and protection.
Governor Radda said that empowering the girl child is a central focus of his administration’s human capital development agenda, describing girls as “the heart of progress and resilience in every society.”
“When a girl is educated and empowered, an entire family, and indeed a whole community, rises with her. Our goal is to build a Katsina where every girl can learn without fear, live with dignity, and lead with confidence,” he stated.
“As a father and an educator, I hold a deep belief that every girl deserves the chance to dream freely, learn safely, and lead boldly. Our administration will continue to work to make this a reality,” Governor Radda affirmed.
Under his leadership, Katsina State has recorded significant achievements through the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment, a partnership with the World Bank and the Federal Ministry of Education. A total of 75 new secondary schools, including 45 junior and 30 senior, have been constructed. Over 150 existing schools have also been renovated and upgraded with modern classrooms, science laboratories, water systems, and toilets to improve learning environments.
More than 104,000 girls in 255 public secondary schools have benefited from Conditional Cash Transfers to help families keep their daughters in school. The state’s Back-to-School Campaigns have brought over 42,000 girls back to classrooms, including many who had been out of school for several years.
Fifteen pilot schools have received millions in Mega Grants for infrastructure upgrades, including ICT laboratories, libraries, and digital learning tools. Teachers across the state have undergone comprehensive training on gender inclusion, classroom safety, and modern teaching practices. To address distance challenges, the government introduced bicycle and transport stipends for girls in remote communities, ensuring that no girl is denied education because of where she lives.
In collaboration with UNICEF and other partners, the administration has established Safe Spaces and Mentorship Clubs in Katsina, Batagarawa, Mani, and Daura. These centres provide secure environments for vulnerable girls to learn life skills and rebuild confidence. Over 955 out-of-school girls in Katsina, Kaita, Baure, and Funtua have been trained in tailoring, catering, ICT, and crafts. An additional 1,395 girls have re-enrolled in formal education through community sensitisation campaigns.
To support girls’ health and dignity, the government distributed 1,200 sanitary kits to promote menstrual hygiene and reduce absenteeism. Scholarships and mobility aids were provided to indigent and physically challenged female students to improve access to education.
Governor Radda has also transformed Skills Acquisition Centres in Katsina, Kaita, Funtua, and Baure into fully equipped training hubs. In 2023, 455 girls graduated from these centres, and in 2024, 500 graduated. By 2025, five new centres have been established in Dutsi, Charanchi, Mani, Kurfi, and Matazu. The administration anticipates graduating 1,000 girls from all centres by December. Graduates receive empowerment kits, sewing machines, and start-up funds to support entrepreneurship. A modern Home Economics Laboratory has been established at the Girls’ Skills Centre to improve practical learning.
Through the Digital Katsina Initiative, hundreds of girls have been trained in ICT, coding, and digital safety. The Katsina Girls Coding and Robotics Club, launched in partnership with Arewa Tech Fest, is nurturing a new generation of innovators. The administration has also partnered with SMEDAN, ITF, and KASEDA to expand opportunities for women in agro-processing, crafts, and fashion design, supporting more girls and women to participate in the state’s growing MSME sector.
The Radda administration has established the NASIHA Sexual Assault Referral Centre, a world-class facility that provides free medical, legal, and psychosocial support to survivors of gender-based violence. Gender-Based Violence Response Desks have been created in all Local Government Area secretariats and police divisions. Ongoing awareness campaigns continue to discourage early marriage, street hawking, and child labour.
In partnership with UNICEF, the State Government developed an Alternative Care Policy for Vulnerable Children and enacted new education protection laws prohibiting street hawking during school hours.
Governor Radda further expanded the Nigeria for Women Project from three pilot Local Government Areas to all 34 LGAs, supported by counterpart funding. Through this programme, over 5,000 Women Affinity Groups have been established to offer entrepreneurship training, financial literacy, and seed grants to women and adolescent girls, boosting household income and community productivity.
The state also secured 3,500 Federal TVET training slots through the Governor’s advocacy, prioritising girls from low-income households. In just two and a half years, substantial funding has been invested in education across Katsina State, including classroom construction, teacher recruitment, and the rehabilitation of science and technical institutions.
A new Girls Science and Islamic Studies Secondary School has been established in Zango through a public-private partnership. The Governor has pledged to construct access roads and drainage systems around the school to ensure student safety. Additional boreholes, toilets, and hostels have been built to improve hygiene and learning conditions.
The government introduced a data-tracking system to monitor girl-child education indicators and recruited more female teachers to serve as mentors in rural communities.
To promote leadership and participation among girls, the state launched the Katsina Girl-Child Ambassadors Network, the Girls in Leadership Debates, and the Annual Girls’ Conference. These initiatives encourage young girls to speak confidently and contribute to community development.
At the grassroots level, Ward Women Development Committees are collaborating with traditional and religious leaders to promote education, discourage early marriage, and support school enrollment.
Currently, more than 100,000 girls have directly benefited from Governor Radda’s education, empowerment, and cash transfer programmes, with thousands more gaining digital and vocational skills. Katsina now ranks among Nigeria’s top-performing AGILE states, earning national recognition for progress in gender inclusion and girl-child education.
Governor Radda called on parents, community leaders, civil society groups, and development partners to work together to create a safer and more promising future for every girl in Katsina State.
“Today, as we celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child, I salute every girl in Katsina and beyond. You are the change you lead, and your voice will continue to shape the brighter future we are building together,” he concluded.