Kano — A total of 88,000 women in Kano State have so far benefited from the government's free capital of N10,000 each.

The State Governor, Rabi'u Kwankwaso, disclosed this when the Director-General, National Centre for Women Development, Mrs Fatima Batera, paid him a courtesy visit in Kano on Friday.

"This is part of our deliberate strategy to mitigate poverty and facilitate sustainable entrepreneurship in the state," he said.

Kwankwaso said the state government had also trained a number of women on poultry production at Tukwui Poultry Institute in the state as part of efforts to make them more active players in the local economy.

"Besides income generating activities that will enhance their living standard, literacy classes have also been initiated for uneducated women among them to improve their intellectual potentials," governor said.

He pointed out that his administration was also doing a lot to improve the girl-child education in the state, citing the provision of free shuttle buses for female students of public secondary schools as example.

Kwankwaso promised to collaborate with the Federal government agencies and civil society groups to improve their socio-economic status in view of their strategic importance in the scheme of things.

Earlier, Betara said she was in Kano to solicit the support of the state government for women empowerment programmes under the jurisdiction of her agency.

NAN