Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has called on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) operators to embrace value addition, improved packaging, branding and wider market access to increase the profitability and competitiveness of their businesses.
Radda made the call on Thursday when he received members of the MSME Coalition for Dikko Radda 2027, led by the Director-General of the Katsina State Enterprise Development Agency (KASEDA), Dr. Babangida Kabir Ruma, at the Government House, Katsina.
The coalition, according to Ruma, comprises about 20,000 beneficiaries of various KASEDA interventions, who have expressed support for Governor Radda ahead of the 2027 elections.
The KASEDA beneficiaries, he said, had received financial assistance ranging from ₦50,000 to ₦5 million, depending on the nature and scale of their businesses.
Ruma said the coalition would establish a call centre and situation room as part of its activities, while a registration platform had also been created for additional members wishing to join.
Addressing the entrepreneurs, Governor Radda described MSMEs as a major driver of job creation, wealth creation and economic growth, stressing the importance of creating an environment in which small businesses can start, survive and expand.
He said the establishment of KASEDA was part of his administration’s efforts to provide entrepreneurs, artisans, women and young people with access to finance, business development services, mentoring and technical support.
Radda, a former Director-General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), said his experience at the agency had deepened his understanding of the challenges confronting small businesses and influenced his administration’s approach to enterprise development.
He explained that government interventions had included grants, interest-free loans and other forms of enterprise support.
The Governor, however, stressed that beneficiaries of revolving funds must repay as agreed to enable other entrepreneurs to benefit from the schemes.
“Our intention is not simply to give money to people. We want to build a sustainable system where one beneficiary can repay and another entrepreneur can benefit,” he said.
Radda also urged beneficiaries to use government support strictly for its intended purposes and maintain proper business records, saying such practices would improve their eligibility for future interventions.
He identified inadequate processing, packaging, branding and limited access to markets as some of the major challenges limiting the potential of locally produced goods.
According to him, entrepreneurs must move beyond the sale of raw products and focus on processing and value addition in order to increase income and compete effectively in wider markets.
“The difference is often not in the raw material. It is in value addition, processing, packaging, branding and access to better markets,” the Governor said.
He consequently directed KASEDA to strengthen its Business Development Services, mentoring and technical assistance to enable entrepreneurs improve the quality of their products and gain access to larger markets.
Radda also assured that his administration would continue to strengthen KASEDA and ensure that MSME interventions were implemented transparently and in accordance with established guidelines.
Earlier, KASEDA Director-General, Dr. Babangida Ruma, commended the Governor for sustaining programmes aimed at supporting entrepreneurs across the state.
He pledged the agency’s continued commitment to expanding access to finance, skills acquisition, business development services and other enterprise opportunities.
The event was attended by the Principal Private Secretary to the Governor, Hon. Abdullahi Aliyu Turaji; former SMEDAN Director-General, Oluwale Fasanya; members of the Katsina State Executive Council and other senior government officials.
