The Federation of Muslim Women’s Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN) Kano state chapter in partnership with the International Budget Partnership (IBP) has convened a two day capacity building workshop for women in Ward Development Committees (WDCs).
The activity which took place at Tahir Guest Palace on 11 and 12February was focused on strengthening leadership, healthcare governance, and financial management skills, enabling the women to take on and perform leadership roles.
Kano State Amira of FOMWAN, Habiba Abubakar Mijinyawa, said the goal is to move women from passive membership to active leadership within WDCs.
She explained that the training is designed to ensure women can influence decisions affecting health facilities and community services.
“What we want to achieve is accountability and leadership roles for women in WDCs.
“Women should be in positions where they can speak about community needs and also understand how to account for funds meant for basic healthcare, facility maintenance, and staffing,” the Amira said.
She noted that when the project began about two years ago, many supported facilities had no women in decision-making roles, but participation has improved.
However, she added that gaps still exist and advocacy is ongoing to secure more seats for women, especially in key committees.
Senior Program Coordinator with IBP, Iniobong Usen, said the intervention addresses long-standing exclusion caused by social and cultural barriers.
He explained that while WDCs were created to support primary healthcare delivery, women were often missing from the decision table despite being the main users of such services.
“If those who use the facilities most are not involved in how they are run, there will be service gaps,” he said.
Usen added that beyond inclusion, women also need technical knowledge to function effectively, which the training provides.
“I am proud that our advocacies to include women in WDC strucutre is yielding results because from the activity today, majority of the participants are women who are holding leadership position in their facilities,” Usen noted.
He said future efforts will focus on strengthening community feedback systems to improve service quality and responsiveness.
Salisu Yusuf, a consultant with IBP and FOMWAN, said the workshop also reinforces WDC guidelines that recommend at least 40 percent representation for women.
According to him, the emphasis is not only on numbers but on influence.
“It is not just about having 40 percent women, but ensuring they occupy key positions in the structure,” he said.
Yusuf described women as the most frequent users of primary healthcare and said their inclusion leads to better decisions.
He pointed to emerging impact from the advocacy, noting that trained women are increasingly resolving community health challenges, escorting pregnant women to facilities, and conducting house-to-house sensitization.
“These are practical changes we are seeing as the program grows,” he added.
One of the participants, Zainab Mukhtar, a WDC chair from Dandago Ward in Gwale Local Government Area, said the training has expanded her understanding of her responsibilities.
She cited a case where her committee resisted attempts to sell donated drugs that were meant to be distributed free.
“We pushed for months until about 80 percent of the medicines were given to patients at no cost,” she said.
Zainab added that the new knowledge will significantly improve her performance.
“If before I was doing about 20 percent of what I should do, now I am confident I will do more than 80 percent,” she said, noting plans to work more closely with community mobilizers and traditional birth attendants to increase facility use.
