Damaturu: No fewer than 40,630 secondary school girls will soon benefit from Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) under the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE-AF) project in Yobe.
The figures represent the first cohort of the CCT component of the project.
Alhaji Abdullahi Bula, the project’s coordinator in the state, disclosed this to reporters in Damaturu on Friday.
According to him, the beneficiaries are mainly girls transitioning from primary six to Junior Secondary (JS) 1 and JS 3 to Senior Secondary (SS) 1.
He said each beneficiary would receive over N60,000 per annum to address the financial demands of the transition periods, which included the purchase of uniforms, bags, and sandals.
“The incentive is called CCT because it will be paid on the condition of school attendance. We will pay them for the first, second, and third term on the condition that they will have at least 70 percent attendance at school,” Bula said.
The coordinator stated that news of the CCT had already yielded positive results, as enrollment in SS1 and JS1 increased by over 10,000 students between 2024 and 2025.
He stated that AGILE – AF, which commenced operations in March 2024 in Yobe, was a five-year project funded through a loan obtained by the state from the World Bank.
Bula explained that Yobe and 10 other states would access $700 million for the implementation of the project through a basket funding system.
“The first set of AGILE benefitting states received $500 million, and they included Borno, Katsina, Kano, Kebbi, Plateau, Ekiti, and Kaduna.
“Yobe and 10 others, who later joined the project through Additional Financing (AF), will access $700 million from the bank through a basket system.
Under the system, the funds are in the custody of the World Bank. Each state will draw the funds according to its performance and approved limit,” the coordinator said.
He stated that, based on the state’s work plan, 50 new senior and junior girls’ secondary schools would be constructed across the 17 local government areas of the state.
Bula said that the project, in collaboration with School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs), would also renovate 225 senior and junior secondary schools across the state.
The coordinator stated that the SBMCs had been previously trained in developing School Improvement Plans (SIPs), adding that funds would be allocated to each SBMC to renovate schools under its care.
He added that non-formal learning centres would also be established across the 17 local government areas of the state to provide a “second chance” to girls who had left school to get married or for any other reason.
“These centres will be provided in the local communities for the girls to be taught literacy, numeracy, and vocational skills. They will be given starter packs to start their businesses,” Bula said.
The coordinator listed other activities of the organisation, including behavioural change communication, instilling life skills, as well as system strengthening and monitoring.
He stated that AGILE was established to provide more opportunities for girls to pursue secondary education.
“It has been observed that most of the children roaming the streets and hawking are girls.
“Some of them are out of school, others are in school. However, even those attending school spend most of their time outside of school. This project aims to ensure the enrolment, retention, and completion of secondary education by girls,” Bula said. Said.