Adult Literacy Programmes and Economic Empowerment of Women in Kano State

This study examines the relationship between adult literacy programme participation and economic empowerment among women in Kano State, North West Nigeria. Women in northern Nigeria face significant educational barriers rooted in cultural norms, early marriage, and limited access to formal schooling, leaving many without the functional literacy skills needed for economic participation. State and federal government literacy programmes have been introduced to address this gap, but their empowerment outcomes have not been adequately evaluated at the community level. This study adopts a descriptive survey design, collecting data from 200 women enrolled in adult literacy centres operated by the Kano State Agency for Mass Education. The questionnaire assessed literacy acquisition, income-generating activity participation, financial decision-making, and self-efficacy outcomes before and after programme participation. Descriptive statistics and paired-samples t-tests are applied. Findings reveal that programme participants demonstrate significant improvements in reading, numeracy, and business record-keeping skills after 12 months of enrolment. Participation in income-generating activities increased from 38 percent to 67 percent among completers. Self-reported financial decision-making confidence improved significantly. Challenges identified include irregular programme funding, inadequate instructional materials, and high dropout rates among married participants due to domestic responsibilities. The study concludes that adult literacy programmes meaningfully contribute to women's economic empowerment in Kano State when adequately resourced and sustained. It recommends flexible scheduling, childcare support, and community mobilisation as critical enablers of female adult literacy participation in the Northwest.

Keywords: adult literacy, women empowerment, Kano State, economic participation, literacy centres.