The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has empowered over 95,000 adolescent girls and boys in Katsina State with financial literacy, vocational skills, and access to safe spaces through its Reaching and Empowering Adolescent Girls in Northwest Nigeria (REACH) programme.
The initiative, implemented across six local government areas (LGAs) over the past two years Katsina, Kafur, Kankara, Rimi, Baure, and Mani is designed to boost school enrollment, retention, and completion among adolescents, especially girls.
Speaking during a community town-hall meeting in Katsina on Friday, Mr. Muntaka Muhammad-Mukhtar, Education Specialist at the UNICEF Kano Field Office, said the event was aimed at assessing and consolidating the programme’s gains.
He noted that the adolescents were trained in various vocational skills, including knitting, crochet, henna design, cap making, and throw pillow production, among others, to support their future career paths.
“The programme empowers adolescents with life-changing skills, financial literacy, and a safe learning environment, giving them a better chance to succeed and contribute to their communities,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, Ngozi Izuora-Songu, UNICEF Adolescent Development Specialist, highlighted that the programme targeted out-of-school girls and survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), equipping them with skills aligned with local market demands.
“The vocational skills acquired by the girls are relevant to their communities, making their products highly marketable both locally and in urban centers,” she said.
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To strengthen healthcare support for GBV survivors, UNICEF also donated medical test kits to six health centers across three LGAs in the state. Health workers were trained in the proper use of the kits, enabling them to screen for sexually transmitted infections and physical trauma, ensuring prompt medical attention.
Izuora-Songu further disclosed that more than 150 traditional rulers, religious leaders, and law enforcement personnel had been sensitized on child protection and GBV issues through various trainings.
“These engagements have enhanced community-level responsiveness to GBV cases and reinforced local child protection structures,” she added.
She described the series of town-hall meetings held across the six LGAs as valuable platforms for identifying the barriers affecting adolescent girls’ transition from primary to secondary school.
The meetings provided inclusive spaces for dialogue among adolescent girls, parents, teachers, school administrators, and education officials, allowing communities to reflect on the tangible impact of the REACH programme.
The event was organised by UNICEF, in collaboration with the Katsina State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
