Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has launched the KASEDA Digital Market, an online platform designed to connect businesses in the state with customers across Nigeria and beyond, as part of efforts to deepen support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
The launch, which took place during the 2026 International MSMEs Day celebration, coincided with the governor’s congratulatory message to a Katsina entrepreneur, Ibrahim Nuhu Kankia, who won a ₦7.5 million prize at the 8th National MSMEs Clinic Awards.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Abdullahi Garba Faskari, at the launch of the digital platform, Governor Radda said MSMEs remain the backbone of every thriving economy, driving job creation, poverty reduction and sustainable development.
He said the KASEDA Digital Market was established to address one of the biggest challenges confronting small businesses—limited access to markets.
“The KASEDA Digital Market is more than an online marketplace. It is a gateway to opportunity that will enable entrepreneurs to showcase their products, receive orders, promote their brands and reach customers within and outside Nigeria,” the governor said.
According to him, the platform will improve product visibility, expand market access, strengthen digital marketing, enhance business credibility and support enterprise growth across the state’s 34 local government areas.
Radda said his administration had continued to implement policies and programmes that enable entrepreneurs, artisans, manufacturers, farmers, women and youths to establish and grow successful businesses through business training, access to finance, digital skills and enterprise development initiatives coordinated by the Katsina State Enterprise Development Agency (KASEDA).
He urged entrepreneurs, cooperative societies, manufacturers, fashion designers, farmers, artisans and service providers to register on the platform and take advantage of the opportunities it offers, while reaffirming his administration’s commitment to digital transformation, youth empowerment, job creation and economic diversification.
Earlier, KASEDA Director-General, Dr. Babangida Kabir Ruma, described MSMEs as the foundation of economic prosperity and announced that every registered vendor participating in this year’s International MSMEs Day Exhibition would receive a ₦50,000 grant to support business expansion.
He said Governor Radda’s support had enabled the agency to improve access to finance, entrepreneurship training, vocational skills, digital innovation, business formalisation and mentorship for thousands of entrepreneurs across the state.
Dr. Ruma also highlighted KASEDA’s partnerships with the Bank of Industry and Sterling Bank, which have expanded financing opportunities for small businesses.
Meanwhile, Governor Radda has congratulated Ibrahim Nuhu Kankia, Chief Executive Officer of Kosai Republic, for emerging as one of the winners at the 8th National MSMEs Clinic Awards, where he received a ₦7.5 million cash prize sponsored by the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM).
Represented by the Commissioner for Women Affairs and former KASEDA Director-General, Hajiya Aisha Aminu Malumfashi, at the awards ceremony and book launch titled Building Nigeria, Empowering MSMEs: A Compendium of the Federal Government’s Initiatives and Interventions for Nigerian MSME Growth, the governor described the award as a proud moment for Katsina State.
“I warmly congratulate Ibrahim Nuhu Kankia on this remarkable achievement. His success is a source of pride to Katsina State and an encouragement to many young entrepreneurs. It shows that with hard work, innovation and the right support, our youths can compete and excel at the national level,” Radda said.
The governor noted that the 25-year-old entrepreneur, a final-year Pharmacy student at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and an indigene of Kankia Local Government Area, is one of the success stories of the KASEDA Mentorship Programme.
He added that Kosai Republic also benefited from the KASEDA Interest-Free MSMEs Loan Scheme, describing the entrepreneur’s success as evidence of the impact of the state’s investment in enterprise development and youth empowerment.
Radda encouraged young entrepreneurs across Katsina State to take advantage of KASEDA’s mentorship programmes, business development services and financing opportunities, assuring them of his administration’s continued support for innovation, enterprise development and job creation.
