Birnin Kebbi: Experts to organize Sustainable Financing for Women’s Economic Inclusion
By Kebbi Daily News on Thu Oct 16 2025
The event, titled “Advancing Sustainable Financing for Women’s Economic Inclusion and Development,” is scheduled to take place on Monday, October 20, 2025, at Saffar Guest Inn, Birnin Kebbi.
Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria: Renowned women’s financial expert, Abbas Abdullahi Maiyama, has been selected to attend and present a paper at a high-level forum organized by Plan International, focused on advancing sustainable financing for women’s economic inclusion and development.
The event, titled “Advancing Sustainable Financing for Women’s Economic Inclusion and Development,” is scheduled to take place on Monday, October 20, 2025, at Saffar Guest Inn, Birnin Kebbi. The forum is expected to bring together development practitioners, policymakers, gender advocates, financial experts, and representatives from civil society to deliberate on innovative mechanisms for financing women’s empowerment initiatives and promoting gender-responsive development at the subnational and national levels.
A Platform for Transformative Dialogue
According to Maiyama, the conference provides a timely and strategic opportunity to deepen discussions on sustainable financing models that address the systemic barriers hindering women’s full participation in economic life.
“This engagement provides a unique platform to explore innovative strategies that promote sustainable financing, enhance women’s economic inclusion, and foster gender-responsive development,” he stated. “It also serves as an avenue for collaboration with key stakeholders, policymakers, and development partners committed to advancing women’s empowerment and inclusive growth.”
The presentation will focus on practical frameworks for mobilizing financial resources, public-private partnerships, and community-driven solutions that can bridge the gender financing gap and unlock women’s economic potential in Nigeria and beyond.
Maiyama’s paper will also highlight success stories from community-level programs, sustainable enterprise models, and inclusive policy reforms that have contributed to empowering women entrepreneurs, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
The Global Context: Why Sustainable Financing for Women Matters
Globally, women continue to face significant barriers in accessing finance, markets, and decision-making platforms. According to the World Bank, nearly one billion women worldwide remain excluded from formal financial systems, limiting their ability to save, invest, and contribute fully to economic growth.
In Nigeria, despite notable progress in recent years, gender disparities in access to credit, land ownership, and financial services persist. Studies by UN Women and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) show that less than 35% of Nigerian women entrepreneurs have access to formal loans or investment opportunities, largely due to restrictive collateral requirements and sociocultural barriers.
Experts argue that addressing these inequalities is not only a moral imperative but also an economic necessity. Research by McKinsey Global Institute reveals that achieving gender parity in the workforce could add up to $28 trillion to global GDP by 2025.
Plan International’s forum, therefore, seeks to translate these global conversations into actionable local strategies, empowering Nigerian women to become drivers of sustainable growth.
Maiyama’s Contribution to Women’s Economic Development
Abbas Abdullahi Maiyama is widely recognized for his commitment to advancing financial inclusion and women’s empowerment in Nigeria. Over the years, he has worked with multiple development agencies, microfinance institutions, and gender-focused initiatives to design inclusive financial products tailored to the needs of women in rural and semi-urban communities.
His work emphasizes the importance of sustainable financing systems that combine accessibility, affordability, and adaptability. He has been instrumental in implementing projects that promote women-led cooperatives, microcredit schemes, and social enterprise models in northern Nigeria, particularly in Kebbi State, where women’s participation in trade and agriculture remains a cornerstone of local livelihoods.
Maiyama’s advocacy aligns closely with Plan International’s mission of promoting equality for girls and empowering women through education, skills development, and access to economic opportunities.
“True empowerment goes beyond financial inclusion—it requires systemic change that recognizes the economic value women contribute to their communities,” he said. “When women have access to finance, education, and decision-making platforms, entire societies thrive.”
Key Issues to Be Addressed at the Forum
The forum’s agenda, as outlined by Plan International, will revolve around four major themes:
Sustainable Financing Frameworks: Exploring innovative financing models that align with global development goals, including impact investing, blended finance, and gender bonds.
Women’s Access to Credit and Financial Services: Addressing policy and institutional bottlenecks that prevent women from accessing affordable loans and business support services.
Strengthening Public-Private Partnerships: Encouraging collaboration between governments, the private sector, and international donors to support women-led enterprises and social innovation.
Measuring Impact and Accountability: Developing tools for assessing the outcomes of gender-responsive financing and ensuring transparency in resource allocation.
The forum is expected to produce a communiqué that will serve as a roadmap for policymakers, donors, and civil society organizations in shaping future interventions around women’s economic empowerment.
The Role of Plan International
Founded in 1937, Plan International is one of the world’s leading humanitarian and development organizations working to advance children’s rights and gender equality. In Nigeria, the organization has been instrumental in supporting initiatives around girls’ education, sexual and reproductive health, economic empowerment, and climate resilience.
Through its gender-responsive financing programs, Plan International seeks to break cycles of poverty by enabling women and girls to access financial resources and participate meaningfully in the economy.
The upcoming Birnin Kebbi event is part of a broader series of dialogues aimed at localizing the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—particularly Goal 5 (Gender Equality) and Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth)—within Nigeria’s development context.
A National Imperative for Inclusive Growth
The focus on sustainable financing for women aligns with the Nigerian government’s ongoing reforms to boost financial inclusion and support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Initiatives such as the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN), the Women’s Fund for Economic Empowerment (WOFEE), and the CBN’s Financial Inclusion Strategy have laid the groundwork for more equitable access to finance.
However, experts like Maiyama insist that policy frameworks alone are not enough—implementation and sustainability are key. “We must ensure that policies translate into practical outcomes for real women on the ground,” he emphasized. “Sustainable financing should be intentional, inclusive, and adaptable to local realities.”
He further noted that empowering women economically has a multiplier effect—improving household income, enhancing education for children, and reducing poverty across communities.
Expectations and Outlook
As anticipation builds ahead of the October 20 event, stakeholders in development, finance, and gender advocacy view the forum as a milestone in the collective effort to make gender equality a central pillar of Nigeria’s economic strategy.
Maiyama’s presentation is expected to inspire practical discussions on policy reform, financial innovation, and multi-sectoral collaboration. The engagement will also serve as a platform to strengthen partnerships between government agencies, donor organizations, and community-based women’s groups.
Observers note that the outcomes of the forum could influence future state and federal-level programs focused on women’s entrepreneurship, especially within northern Nigeria where access to finance remains limited.
Ultimately, the event underscores a growing recognition that investing in women is investing in the nation—a principle that guides both Plan International’s mission and the lifelong advocacy of experts like Abbas Abdullahi Maiyama.