The UK government has moved to strengthen women’s capacity through the Women, Peace and Security initiative, a training programme in Katsina.

The initiative, implemented by Gender Awareness Trust and Tetra Tech International Development, and supported by SPRiNG, a UK government programme, aims to strengthen women’s capacity at state and local government levels.

The two-day exercise brought together key actors from government ministries, security agencies, civil society organisations, traditional institutions and community peace structures.

Speaking during the training, GAT’s representative, Halima Abba-Ibrahim, urged all participants to drive the State Action Plan on WPS. She said the exercise was focused on transforming policy commitments into measurable impact.

According to her, it also aims to ensure that the State Action Plan on WPS does not remain a document on paper but delivers tangible results for women and communities across the state.

Ms Abba-Ibrahim further underscored the role of monitoring and learning in achieving sustainable change, adding that “policies alone do not create transformation.”

She said, “It is consistent monitoring, learning and accountability that turns commitments into real impact for women and communities. Strengthening our M&E systems ensures that women’s voices and contributions to peacebuilding are properly captured, recognised and supported.”

The commissioner for women’s affairs, Zainab Musawa, described the initiative as a crucial milestone in strengthening accountability and performance tracking under the SAP framework.

Ms Musawa said that the WPS SAP represented their commitment to promoting women’s meaningful participation in peacebuilding and security processes.

“This training equips our committees with the technical tools to monitor progress, identify gaps and ensure effective implementation,” she said.

Ms Musawa called for renewed commitment by members of the implementation committees to apply the knowledge gained to track progress and advance inclusive peace and security initiatives across Katsina.

(NAN)