The Gombe State Government has commenced the distribution of Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards to adolescent girls in public schools under the second batch of the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme of the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE).
Speaking during the flag-off ceremony at Government Junior Secondary School, Malamsidi Central, in Kwami Local Government Area, the Commissioner for Education, Associate Professor Aishatu Umar Maigari, said the initiative reflected Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya’s commitment to promoting girl-child education in the state.
She explained that the programme was designed to provide financial support to parents and caregivers to help their daughters remain in school and complete their secondary education.
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Maigari assured students that the government would continue to introduce policies and interventions aimed at improving access to education and reducing the challenges faced by learners.
Earlier, the AGILE State Project Coordinator, Dr Amina Haruna Abdul, said the second cohort of the conditional cash transfer programme had recorded significant improvements in school enrolment and retention across Gombe State.
She urged parents and guardians to use the funds judiciously by prioritising their children’s educational needs.
The AGILE project is a World Bank-assisted initiative implemented in participating Nigerian states to improve educational opportunities for adolescent girls, strengthen school retention and address financial barriers to learning.