Gov. Abba Kabir-Yusuf of Kano State has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to implementing the newly adopted Gender-Responsive Education Budgeting (GREB) Framework to promote inclusivity and transparency in education financing.
Kabir-Yusuf, represented by his Deputy, Comrade Aminu Abdulsalam-Gwarzo, stated this at the closing of the two-day Kano Girls’ Education Summit on Saturday in Kano.
The Summit, themed ” Investing in Her Future: Advancing Girls’ Education through Equitable Budgeting,” was organised by Bridge Connect Africa Initiative(BCAI) with support from the Malala Fund, in collaboration with Kano Government.
He said the framework would ensure equitable distribution of resources and address barriers confronting girls’ education in the state.
The governor highlighted recent reforms, including the distribution of free uniforms, rehabilitation of girls’ schools, and the absorption of over 5,500 volunteer teachers into permanent service.
Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id-Ahmad, represented by her Special Adviser (Technical), Hajiya Umma Kulthum Muhammad, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to promoting girls’ education and gender equity.
She noted that early marriage, poverty and cultural norms still denied many girls access to learning, stressing the need for sustained investment in girls’ education.
Sa’id-Ahmad said under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the ministry had intensified efforts through initiatives like AGILE and LUMINAH 2030 to educate and economically empower one million underserved girls by 2030.
She commended Kano for being the first state to adopt the GREB framework.
The state Commissioner for Education, Dr. Ali Haruna-Makoda, said the government reforms were already transforming the education sector across all the 484 wards in the state.
“Since the declaration of a state of emergency on education, we have renovated over 2,000 classrooms, constructed 250 new ones, and ensured the return of over 30,000 girls to school through the World Bank supported AGILE Project” he said
Earlier, the BCAI Executive Director, Mr. Sani Muhammad, described the framework as a tool to promote equity, accountability and transparency in education financing.
Muhammad explained that the GREB framework, developed in partnership with the Malala Fund, would embed equity, transparency and accountability in education financing.
He commended the Kano State Government for its leadership in education and praised the Malala Fund for its consistent support for girls’ education in northern Nigeria.