Headlines
ACF rewards Youth Innovators with cash prizes at Conference In Kano
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) Kano state chapter has rewarded Youth innovators across the North who emerged as winners at a conference and exhibition held in Kano with cash prizes for their sterling ideas and inventions.
KANO FOCUS reports that the one-day conference was organized by the ACF Kano chapter in collaboration with Dangote Business School and Media Trust.
Announcing the winners at the end of the event the Chairman of the Kano State chapter of ACF, Dr Goni Umar, said the victors emerged after careful scrutiny of the innovation, creativity and novelty of products.
According to him, the aim of the conference was to ginger youths toward entrepreneurship development and draw support from leaders and investors to invest in their innovative ideas.
“The essence of this conference and exhibition is to ginger our youths in the North so that they can be more productive. Experts are going to discuss how our youths can be more productive.
“Secondly, the exhibitors normally when they exhibit their talents that is the end of it and nobody tries to assist them in developing the ideas in a factory for instance. So this conference aims to show our leaders how they can support the youths,” he said.
He urged the youths to be deliberate in learning and delay gratification while building business entities.
The state chairman told the youths to focus on learning and not spend their money on luxury while trying to build a business, stressing that they should learn to delay gratification and keep on learning new innovations to build on.
The chairman also stated that ACF is determined to contribute to addressing issues of poverty, economic deprivation and social exclusion that usually bred the insecurity bedevilling the North.
He said the programmes will empower the youths to be more productive in their lives, adding that youths must be employed or actively engaged in productive means, stressing that unemployment encouraged problems like the banditry currently afflicting the North.
The chairman also highlighted the need to have community police, as each community needs to defend itself and the government should approve of it.
During the event, experts from various walks of life observed that the North must address issues of unemployment and abject poverty through youth empowerment, innovation and improving their productive capacity.
In his remarks, the chairman of the occasion, Dr Ibrahim Ida, Wazirin Katsina, commended the organisers of the conference, noting that the North can explore the approach to address abject poverty and create job opportunities as well as other societal vices.
Dr Ida decried that a large chunk of the poverty in Nigeria is said to be domiciled in the Northern region.
He lamented that “foreign direct investment in Northern Nigeria between 2019 and 2021 amounted to less than 100 million dollars while in the South the amount is put at 32 billion dollars.”
In his contribution at the conference, Wazirin Dutse, Alh. Bashir Dalhatu, challenged the ACF to raise the bar by walking the talk with practical actions, stressing that it should not be business as usual.
He decried that poverty is more prevalent in the North and people must get up to the challenge by doing what is expected of them individually and collectively for the solution.
“So many exhibitions have been held in the North but nothing came out of them. We should ensure that this one should be different,” he urged.
He appealed to the government and individuals to invest in the products and ideas that the youths exhibited, calling on the northern political leaders, especially governors, to learn from their southern counterparts.
In their separate remarks, the emirs of Kano and Bichi, Alh, Aminu Ado Bayero and Alh. Nasiru Ado Bayero submitted that for the North to reclaim its glory and overcome multiple challenges, youths must be supported to realize their potential.
The conference was subtheme into two sessions where Alh. Tajuddeen Dantata chaired the first session on “The North in a Dynamic World: Creating New Generation of Productive and Innovative Youths”, while Alh. Adamu Aliyu Kiyawa chaired the second session on “Building Elite Consensus on Income Diversification, Financial Inclusion and Wealth Creation in the North’.
At the end of the conference, it was announced that the chairman of Union Bank Board of Directors, Faruk Gumel, donated N1 million to the winner; N500,000 to the runner-up, and the third position N250,000 while other participants were given N50,000 each.
It was also announced that retired Gen. Halliru Akilu donated the sum of N200,000 to the fourth position while the 5th, 6th and 7th positions were given N150,000; N100,000 and N50,000 respectively.
Some of the innovative products exhibited during the conference included drone, aeroplane, incubator, and locally fabricated DNA testing machine among others.
The Adolescent Girls Initiative
for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project, Kano, Sunday commenced the assessment of 100 girls with cognitive and development disabilities in Government Grls Secondary School Zawaciki, Kumbotso local gernment area.
The move was to appropriately place the students identified into the pilot 35 inclusive education schools under AGILE Project.
Ibrahim said the Social Support Officer (SSO) in the AGILE Project Kano Malam Yakubu Muhammad, while addressing the students and their teachers, said the assessment was to provide school material support including uniforms, notebooks, stationery, backpacks, and any specialized learning aids tailored to individual needs.
He said at the end of the assessment AGILE Project will develop Individualized Support Plans (ISPs) outlining necessary accommodations, assistive devices and instructional strategies.
Also speaking the lead consultant Dr Samira Ali said they have so far identified students with cognitive and physical disabilities among the students assessed.
Some of the disabilities identified according to her include cerebral palsy, austism spectrum disorder, down syndrome, behavior maladjustment and speech defect.
Also commenting the principal of Government Girls Secondary School Panshekara who doubles as All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) Hauwa Hussain commended AGILE for this intervention which she said will go a long way in ensuring inclusive education.
The assessment was conducted under Environmental and Social Safeguard Unit of AGILE Project, Kano.
The AGILE Project is a World Bank-assisted initiative implemented through Federal and State Ministries of Education, aimed at improving secondary education opportunities for adolescent girls in Nigeria.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Executive Council, chaired by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, has approved a comprehensive package of developmental projects and interventions valued at over ₦69 billion, targeting critical sectors including infrastructure, education, healthcare, energy, and humanitarian support.
KANO FOCUS reports that this was contained in a statement issued by the Governor’s Spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, on Thursday.
During its 29th meeting held on Wednesday, July 9th 2025, the Council granted landmark approvals aimed at improving service delivery and raising the living standard of citizens.
Among the biggest investments is the expansion of Katsina Road, covering the stretch from Baban Gwari Roundabout to Mil Tara, which includes the construction of five reinforced concrete pedestrian bridges at a cost of ₦24.7 billion.
Additionally, the Council approved the rehabilitation and asphalt overlay of RMK Flyover, IBB Road, Kofar Mazugal Junction, and Katsina Road with a budget of ₦7.8 billion, and the construction of 10 new concrete pedestrian bridges at strategic locations, valued at ₦3.8 billion.
In the education sector, approvals include the renovation of 13 closed boarding schools earlier shut down by the previous administration at ₦3 billion.
The Council also approved general renovation of dilapidated structures in Government Technical College Dambatta, Government Technical College Ungogo, Government Girls Secondary School Balan Tsanyawa, and Government Secondary School Guringawa, totaling over ₦1.2 billion.
Other approvals include the establishment of a new primary school in Gishiri-Wuya community, Warawa LGA, at ₦190 million, renovation of the French and Chinese Bilingual Colleges in Kwankwaso at ₦158 million and ₦349 million, respectively, the conduct of 2025 internal examinations (BECE/BEICE & SSQE/SAISQE) at ₦300 million, and the settlement of outstanding boarding school feeding liabilities for three weeks at ₦718 million.
The health sector interventions approved by the Council include counterpart funding of ₦180 million for the Free Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health programme, ₦240 million for the procurement of a brand-new Toyota Coaster bus for the School of Health Technology, Bebeji, ₦107 million for operational needs of the Kano Ultra-Modern Specialist Hospital (KUSH), and ₦344 million as counterpart funding for routine immunization for the second quarter of 2025.
The Governor, during the session, reiterated his administration’s resolve to turn Kano into a hub of modern infrastructure, inclusive development, and educational excellence.
The Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project has increased the annual Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) from N20,000 to N60,000 per beneficiary as part of renewed efforts to enhance girls’ education in Kano State.
KANO FOCUS reports that this was revealed during a sensitization campaign on the CCT program held in Gwarmai town, Bebeji Local Government Area.
Speaking at the event, the National CCT Coordinator of the AGILE project, Dr. Kubrah Muhammad, emphasised the importance of utilising the funds effectively to support and improve girls’ access to quality education.
Dr. Kubrah Muhammad,
Dr Muhammad urged parents, students, and other stakeholders to spread the message and ensure the sensitisation efforts are cascaded across communities for wider impact.
Also speaking, the Kano State AGILE CCT Component Lead, Malam Naziru Surajo, disclosed that a total of 45,850 students have so far been enrolled under the initiative in the state.
He noted that Bebeji LGA is one of the 19 participating local governments in Kano, with 4,984 girls currently benefiting from the program.
Malam Surajo highlighted that since the introduction of the CCT, girls’ school enrollment has seen significant improvement, rising by 31% overall, with 35% at the junior secondary level and 27% at the senior secondary level.
Malam Naziru Surajo
He further explained that the cash transfer comes with key conditions, including maintaining a minimum of 70% school attendance, which must be sustained for continued eligibility.
The District Head of Bebeji, who doubles as ‘Yan Dakan Kano, Alhaji Sarki Yusuf Bayero, emphasized the need for men to fulfill their responsibilities effectively, particularly in the context of supporting girls’ education.
He reiterated that the funds are meant for the students’ educational welfare, but should be managed wisely by parents.
Alhaji Sarki Yusuf Bayero (Yan Dakan Kano)
He cautioned that the CCT should not become a source of conflict within families, stressing that either parent can responsibly utilize the funds, provided they are used for the intended purpose of promoting education
“The most important thing is for parents to inculcate good moral values on their children to make them useful to society.”
Some parents of beneficiaries, Malam Abdu Gwarmai and Haulatu Musa, asked questions related to the CCT.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The AGILE Project is a World Bank-assisted initiative implemented through Federal and State Ministries of Education, aimed at improving secondary education opportunities for adolescent girls in Nigeria.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim ANIPR,
Communication Officer,
AGILE Project, Kano.
Computer Society congratulates Sharada on his elevation to Special Adviser on Digital Economy
AGILE launches assessment for 100 girls with dissabilities in Kano
Kano Govt approves over ₦69b on transform infrastructure, education
AGILE Project increases girls’ education grant to N60,000 in Kano
Gov Yusuf Clears N22 Billion from N48 Billion Backlog of Retirees’ Gratuities and Death Benefits
Kano Govt declares Thursday public holiday for Islamic new year
Mangal spends N80m to sponsor urology surgery for 3,000 vulnerable
PLANE partners Kano govt to develop MTSS for education sector
Northern Nigeria’s Crossroads to Renewal
