NGO engages grannies to curb GBV in Kano, Jigawa

By Muhammed Yakubu On Apr 13, 2026

grannies, GBV, Kano, Jigawa, development Research and Projects Centre — NGO engages grannies to curb GBV in Kano, Jigawa

In its bid to address the prevalence of gender based violence in the Northwest, a non-governmental organisation, development Research and Projects Centre, dRPC, on Monday engaged the services of grandmothers to tackle the menace in Kano and Jigawa states.

The Executive Director of dRPC, Dr Judith-Ann Walkers in her remarks during the inaugural meeting at the Kano State Ministry of Women Affairs, Children and Disabled, said the grandmothers under the umbrella, Grannies Network for Change, GNEC were brought together to mobilise other grandmothers in Kano, Jigawa and other northern states to serve as an advocacy platform for all grandmothers to prevent the growing cases of gender based violence in the north.

SolaceBase reports that Walkers said the project is to strengthen the capacities of the grandmothers to influence the behavioural change of husbands within households in order for wives to have economic rights and for girl children to attend school.

According to her, “The grandmothers are specifically concerned with economic rights denial leading to poor girls’ education and school drop out, which exacerbates early marriages, leading to increased gender based violence in Kano and Jigawa States.

“GNEC will also be an intergenerational intervention project where youth will be engaged and educated on the salient issues around GBV prevention, especially economic denials and girls’ education.

“The GNEC project quoted the NDHS 2025 economic rights indices at 22% at the national level, and 40% and 42% in Kano and Jigawa states, respectively, indicating a high prevalence of restrictions on women’s ability to work outside the home.

“Accordingly, the goal of GNEC is to, among other things, support three new low-level leadership groups within traditional society – grandmothers and local-level village heads and village Imams- as male allies who have been neglected in past GBV projects, to become champions, influencing behavioural change and shifting gender norms to prevent GBV, exacerbated by economic rights denials that leads to poor girl’s education and early marriages in the states.

“The New GNEC Project also aims to strengthen the capacities of grandmothers at the state and local levels to influence the behavioural change of husbands within households in order for wives to have economic rights and for girl children to attend school.

“While this project recognises the economic drivers of husbands’ economic oppression of wives and of decision-making not to fund girls’ education, we hold that husbands’ support for wives’ economic rights and for daughters can demonstrate support that strengthens the household and communities.

“In the first year of the New GNEC Project, the project will identify and work in 6 villages in Kano State, and 4 in Jigawa State, where husbands are known for not supporting their wives economically, and wives are forced to be breadwinners, and also communities where husbands are not supportive of their daughters’ education.

“The 6 villages in Kano state and the 4 villages in Jigawa state that are selected must also be communities where the local level village heads and local Friday Mosque Imams can participate in the project. As they participate in this project, they are being trained on GBV, economic rights and girls’ education. They will also be supported in convening meetings of grandmothers to help them communicate effectively with their sons in multigenerational households. They will also reach men directly in the mosques and through convenings at the village heads’ houses. The project will also target grandmothers through radio programs to support them with new information, enabling them to use their influential role so that they shape their sons’ commitment to the economics of the family and their daughters’ education.

“GNEC aims to strengthen grandmothers to serve as strong voices for GBV prevention, economic emancipation of women, and promoters of girls’ education in Kano and Jigawa states,” Walkers said.

On her part, the Commissioner of Women Affairs, Children and Disabled, Amina Sani said the grandmothers command deep respect within the communities and are well positioned to play an authoritative role in preventing gender-based violence (GBV).

She said the project will empower the grandmothers to use their authority to shift harmful gender norms as this will contribute to reducing violence against women and increasing support for girls’ education.

Her counterpart, the Jigawa State Commissioner, represented by the Director of Planning, Amina Umar, commended the development partner for selecting Jigawa State for the unique project.

She said the grandmothers who command respect in the communities will play a great role and contribute immensely in the fight against GBV.