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This study investigated Islamic Financial Inclusion for women empowerment through establishing cash waqf to prevent rural-urban girl-child hawking in Kano, Nigeria. The main objective is to identify reasons for engaging in rural-urban hawking by girl-children and how cash waqf could support their parents, especially mothers, to enroll and maintain their daughters in school without exposing them to various kinds of vulnerabilities. The study adopted a simple random sampling, hat and draw, technique. 50 girl-child hawkers were selected from a total of 300 engaged in rural-urban hawking in Madobi Local Government Area in Kano State, Nigeria. A closed-ended questionnaire was used for data collection. Responses were analyzed using tables and percentages. The results showed that most of the girl-children are not enrolled in school (86%); are engaged in hawking daily (86%); are kept out of school because of failure of parents to pay school fees (56%); mothers use hawking proceeds to purchase bridal bits and pieces for their girl-children when getting married (72%) and hunger is the most serious vulnerability (40%) the hawkers face. Recommendations based on the results focus on the imperative to establish cash waqf by philanthropists to provide microfinance and vocational training to rural women and educational support to rural girl-children to enable them remain and complete schooling.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to raise awareness of the role of Islamic endowments (awqaf) as viable mechanisms for financing poverty alleviation programmes and the value of the third sector in promoting public welfare.Design/methodology/approachSecondary sources provided the main data for the study. These were supplemented with personal discussions and observations. Narrative approach was used for analysis.FindingsThe lack of awareness about endowments (awqaf) is a barrier to harnessing their potentials in redressing socio‐economic inequities and enhancing the quality of life of the poor in Kano.Social implicationsScholars, merchants and civil society organizations will be awakened to the need to cooperate in employing the institution of awqaf reducing poverty through the provision of quality education, better health care and employment opportunities. Government will be made aware of the need to explore non‐conventional methods in tackling poverty, recognize Islamic endowments (awqaf) as viable alternatives in financing community welfare programmes and provide all necessary policy support –legal/institutional/financial – for their smooth operation.Originality/valueThe worth of this paper lies in drawing the attention of stakeholders, like policy makers, and the general public to the contemporary relevance of, and demand for, Islamic endowments (awqaf) in solving many of the socio‐economic problems excluding the poor from leading a decent life.

A holistic view of waqf as a philanthropic institution in Islam for improving all aspects of social life is necessary for any Muslim community to derive the most from the benefits provided by the institution over the centuries. But communities that have a narrow perception of the purpose and role of waqf are bound to face developmental problems for neglecting a vital function of the institution in providing socio-economic services that are crucial in addressing social problems and improving the overall quality of life of the ummah. The objective of this paper is to draw attention to the need for a balanced view of waqf as an all-inclusive philanthropic mechanism for promoting public welfare. By re-examining the evidence of a previous study, the paper concludes that Muslims in Kano, Nigeria, have a lopsided opinion about the role of waqf. The paper recommends that it is necessary to investigate waqf donor motivations empirically so that reasons could be systematically identified in order to plan effective strategies likely to re-align public perception with the holistic view of waqf.

Financial control is important in government not only in periods of prosperity when revenue inflows are substantial, but also in times of austerity when the public purse is experiencing a cash crunch. Given the recent global economic meltdown that brought about reduced incomes to the government of the federation, and consequently to state and local governments, the Kano State Government expressed concern over its dependence on federation account revenues and was geared towards exploiting internally generated revenues as means for achieving self-reliance and fiscal sustainability. This exploratory study set out to survey factors that affect the work of Kano State Ministry of Finance (KSMOF) with respect to ensuring financial control without which no amount of internally generated revenue could make the state independent in fiscal matters. The scope of the study was limited to the staff of the headquarters of the KSMOF and descriptive research design, ex post factor, was used. Questionnaires were used in data collection and simple percentages were used in data analysis. Among the major findings of the study, it was revealed that control procedures carried out by the KSMOF were generally appropriate. The conclusion of the research was that the KSMOF is a very important stakeholder in any revenue diversification derive and reform to be ignored. The study’s recommendation, among others, is that to safeguard public funds from misuse, personal lifestyles of employees of the KSMOF need to be monitored.

This inaugural paper seeks to respond to the claim by some tertiary education managers that academic career specialization should be rigidly adhered to. While it is undeniable that specialization has it merits, it seems myopic to lose sight of the merits of career switching in the academia for the possible contributions it can make towards expanding the frontiers of knowledge. In this regard, this paper argues that the merits of traversing academic boundaries are obvious that tertiary education officials should not, for bureaucratic reasons, attempt to scuttle genuine efforts at career switching. Even for the larger society, outside the academia, this paper believes that career switching by scholars may open up new vistas that could lead to the enhancement of the quality of life of individuals and communities. While it has been observed that the key feature of the Islamic ideal is the blending of the spiritual and the secular, the economic and the social, through engaging Islamic philanthropy, the vehicle for that engagement seems to be no other than the waqf. But the utilization of waqf as a charitable institution for the provision of community welfare for Muslims in northern Nigeria, for long facing serious socio-economic, in addition to the current insecurity, problems has basically remained untapped. Employing a narrative and analysis of available literature, this exploratory study is limited in scope by the few narratives considered. Highlighting the role of waqf (Islamic endowment) in enhancing public wellbeing, the paper reveals that to harness the institution of waqf effectively requires the involvement of the ulama as change agents. However, the study concludes that for the ulama in northern Nigeria to successfully mobilize philanthropy for community building, it is an imperative for them to undertake a self re-evaluation.

Third sector Muslim associations in Kano State, Nigeria, should employ the institution of awqaf in the provision of socio-economic welfare in general and promoting women’s micro entrepreneurship in particular. This move is necessary given the dearth of microfinance institutions in the state and the gender-based barriers excluding women from formal finance services. This paper attempts to present an overview of women’s entrepreneurial and philanthropic activities using secondary sources and personal interviews. The main objective of the paper is to highlight women’s experiences in home-based microenterprises and propose a framework for assisting them to access financial services through non-bank Islamic financial institution of awqaf. There is ample evidence to suggest that if awqaf are harnessed, in the direction of the framework, the benefits to be derived will not be limited to just promoting women’s participation in economic activities, but are likely to extend to improving their social wellbeing, that of their households, other deprived women and the Muslim ummah in general.

Conventional sources for financing community development programmes appear to be inadequate in meeting people’s welfare needs. This inadequacy seems more pronounced given cuts in government spending. Even with reforms in community development finance, in the form of socially responsible investing, Muslim communities still face financial exclusion due to the interest-element in conventional finance instruments. This research examined the utilization of Islamic endowments (awqaf) in financing community development activities in Kano metropolis. Five research questions guided the study. The scope of the research was limited, in part, to exploring the nature, management and availability of awqaf in enhancing community well-being. An ex-post facto design was employed. Primary data were collected using structured interview and complemented with secondary data through documentary analysis. Data analysis involved the use of descriptive statistics and cluster analysis technique. The findings of the study include the disclosure that Islamic philanthropic endowments, especially for the provision of socio-economic facilities, are scarce in Kano metropolis. This contradicts the centuries-old tradition of the participation of Islamic charities in economic and social developmental services. From its findings, the study’s main conclusion was that awareness-creation campaigns and education, through collaborative endeavours, are essential in promoting the setting up of awqaf. Among its recommendations, the study suggested that a dynamic enlightenment drive is necessary to sensitize Muslims to appreciate the contemporary significance of endowments and utilize them as mechanisms for financing community welfare projects in Kano metropolis.