By Lizzy Carr
The Faimta Women and Youth Development Initiative (FAWOYDI) has officially commenced high-level advocacy visits to key Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in Bauchi State to secure government synergy for the Renewed Women’s Voice and Leadership (RWVL) Project.
The advocacy drive serves to formally present the project’s strategic goals, thematic focus areas, and grant distributions awarded to FAWOYDI as the lead organization, alongside six selected Community-Based Organizations (CBOs).
Speaking during the visits, the Acting Executive Director of FAWOYDI, Mustapha Idris Ajanah said the project will be implemented across eight communities within the Alkaleri, Bauchi, and Ganjuwa Local Government Areas.
Ajanah explained that grant disbursements to the executing CBOs followed a rigorous Participatory Assessment and Mapping (PAM) exercise.
“These funds are earmarked for grassroots interventions focused on safeguarding women’s rights, preventing gender-based violence (GBV), and fostering sustainable economic empowerment”.
The Director Administration Bauchi State Ministry of Women Affairs and Child Development Bello Abdullahi who representd the permanent secretary Talatu Gar commended FAWOYDI and its partner, ActionAid, for aligning the project with the state’s overarching gender policy. She pledged the ministry’s technical guidance representation on the project’s steering committee, and seamless integration with existing state welfare programs.
Also speaking the Director of Donor coordination Ministry of Budget, Economic Planning, and Multilateral Coordination Babaji Garba Rauta assured the team that the RWVL Project would be integrated into state donor coordination platforms and development tracking systems.
Highlighting the project’s focus on social inclusion, the Gender Desk Officer Bauchi State Agency for Persons with Disabilities Slylvia Gabriel Abraham asked for the deliberate integration of women living with disabilities into Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), capacity-building workshops, and decision-making bodies.
To further expand the project’s economic scope, the Director of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Baba Jibrin expressed readiness to assist target beneficiaries reiterating the ministry’s willingness to connect women’s cooperative groups with formal business registration, broader market access, and state-backed empowerment schemes.
The advocacy campaign is expected to solidify government ownership and streamline inter-agency cooperation as the RWVL project moves into full community-level implementation
