Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has pledged to strengthen data-driven planning to ensure the state’s growing population is matched with adequate jobs, healthcare, education and other essential services.
In a message to commemorate the 2026 World Population Day, the governor said population growth should be seen as both a challenge and an opportunity, stressing that government policies would focus on transforming Katsina’s youthful population into a productive workforce.
“We must plan with numbers. Every child born, every young person entering the job market, and every family seeking healthcare must be accounted for in our budget and programmes,” Radda said.
He said the state government would intensify data collection, expand access to family planning services, invest in skills acquisition programmes and create an enabling environment for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to generate employment for young people.
The governor directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to align their 2026 work plans with current population data, noting that priority would be given to maternal healthcare, girl-child education, youth employment and food security in line with his administration’s development agenda.
Radda also called on traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations and the media to support government efforts by sensitising communities on responsible family size and the importance of birth registration.
He further congratulated Katsina State’s representative on the National Population Commission (NPC), Professor Sadiq Isa Radda, on his inauguration after being sworn in by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The governor expressed confidence that Professor Radda would use his experience to ensure Katsina is properly represented at the commission and that the state benefits from credible population data for national planning.
