Nigeria Gives 1,000 Girls Job Skills and Tools to Start

In Katsina State, Nigeria, 1,000 teenage girls are opening their own businesses this week with skills they learned and tools they earned.

The girls completed vocational training programs across eight communities in northern Nigeria. They studied tailoring, cosmetology, catering, information technology, knitting, and leather working at government skills centers.

But Governor Dikko Radda didn't stop at certificates. Each graduate walked away with professional starter packs matched to their training: sewing machines for tailors, laptops for tech students, gas cookers and utensils for caterers, and complete kits for beauticians and leather workers.

"Training without tools limits impact," Governor Radda explained at the graduation ceremony. "That is why we are providing you with the equipment you need to start work immediately."

The program targets adolescent girls specifically because barriers to education hit them hardest in the region. Social and economic challenges often force girls to drop out of school or skip training opportunities entirely.

The Ripple Effect

When girls gain economic independence, entire families benefit. The governor emphasized this multiplier effect: "When you empower a girl, you empower a family, a community and the next generation."

The impact goes beyond the 1,000 graduates. Three hundred of them will enter paid internships through a new partnership between Katsina State and Green House Company, giving them industry experience and potential permanent jobs.

Special Adviser Jamila Abdu Mani, who leads Girl Child Education and Child Development for the state, called the starter packs "seeds of opportunity." She urged the graduates to become role models in their communities and show other girls what's possible.

The skills centers now operate across Katsina State with updated equipment and market-focused training. The government designed programs around jobs that actually exist in local economies, ensuring graduates can find customers and build sustainable businesses.

Parents, instructors, and local leaders attended the ceremony alongside state officials, showing community support for investing in girls' futures.

These 1,000 young women are now business owners with the skills and tools to support themselves and inspire the next generation.