FG, States Collaborate To Empower Women, Girls

The Federal Ministry of Education has unveiled “Luminah 2030 Initiative”, aimed at tackling gender disparities in education, empowering women and girls and driving sustainable development across Nigeria.

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, at the inaugural technical committee meeting with state commissioners of education in Abuja, said the initiative would address systemic challenges facing girls’ education.

Ahmad said the initiative would address girls’ challenges, especially in underserved communities through a three-pronged approach, namely — Root, Stem and Bloom.

According to her, the initiative is not just a vision but a movement to dismantle long-standing barriers such as poverty, cultural norms and geographical isolation that denied girls their fundamental right to education.

She said “when you educate a girl, you educate a community. Lumina 2030 targets not only the girl-child but empowers the household, particularly mothers, by creating ripple effects across entire communities.

“The Root phase of the initiative focuses on empowering mothers through vocational training and economic support. Beneficiaries will undergo three to six months of skill training.

“This is because, economically empowered mothers are likely to keep their daughters in school.”

Ahmad added that the Stem phase of the initiative would target out-of-school girls aged five to 15 years, with an accelerated three-year curriculum, enabling them to achieve basic education.

She added that the model would address the reality of overaged girls who may have never been enrolled or dropped out due to poverty, early marriage, or pregnancy.

She explained that the Bloom phase of the initiative is for adolescent girls aged 15–18 years, offering one year pathway to complete senior secondary education or vocational training.

She explained that “this is not a federal programme alone, states own the schools and so, implementation must be locally-led. We need full commitment to make the Lumina 2030 Initiative work.

“The initiative also integrates financial literacy, entrepreneurship, digital learning and gender equity principles, aiming for long-term sustainability through strategic partnerships, community mobilisation.”

The minister emphasised inclusivity, while calling for priority attention to states and communities with high numbers of out-of-school girls and limited access to education infrastructure.

The Head of the LUMINAH 2030 Secretariat, Mrs Amina Buba-Haruna, described the initiative as  “shared framework for inclusive growth, resilient systems, as well as women and girls-centred development.”

She emphasised the initiative’s ambition to create a future where no woman or girl is left behind, adding that “the initiative is a collective drive for sustainable development, inclusive innovation and national prosperity.”

She noted that the commissioners’ input was critical as the initiative transitions from planning to implementation.

“This important meeting is to unite key stakeholders on a single vision for a future that is sustainable, inclusive, innovative and resilient,” she stated.

She, therefore, called for commitment at the sub-national levels for coordinated implementation of the initiative.

LUMINAH initiative stands for Learning, Uniting, Modernising, Innovating, Nurturing, Accelerating and Harmonising.

It has 12 pilot states selected across the six geopolitical zones based on data on out-of-school children and existing gender policies for the programme.

The states are: Yobe, Taraba, Kano, Jigawa, Benue, FCT, Ebonyi, Anambra, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Lagos, and Oyo states.