Katsina | 24 November 2025
Katsina State has attracted more than ₦489.4 billion in private-sector investment commitments at the 2025 Economic and Investment Summit, marking a major milestone in Governor Dikko Umaru Radda’s drive to reposition the state as one of Nigeria’s most competitive emerging economies.
Held under the theme “Building Your Future Economy,” the summit convened investors, policymakers, business leaders, and development partners to explore opportunities created by the administration’s sweeping governance, security, and economic reforms.
Speaking during a fireside chat, Governor Radda said Katsina’s new investment-friendly profile is the product of deliberate choices—strengthened security, transparent governance, and institutional reforms.
“When I assumed office, 24 local governments were under insurgent pressure,” he said. “We introduced homegrown, community-led security structures that today ensure people can farm, trade, and invest safely.”
He highlighted the establishment of the Katsina State Community Watch Group, which has trained and deployed over 2,500 personnel, along with Village and District Security Committees comprising 9,747 community members providing real-time intelligence across the state.
These interventions, he noted, have enabled the reopening of previously closed markets—including Sheme, Yantumaki and Danmusa—many of which had been shut for more than six years. Farmers have also recorded bumper harvests, with irrigation activities and pastoral movements resuming even in formerly volatile locations.
Governor Radda outlined several institutional and administrative reforms targeted at easing the cost of doing business and improving governance efficiency. They include:
- Implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA)
- Establishment of the State Directorate of ICT
- Launch of SPIME, the Strategic Policy Monitoring and Evaluation Unit
- Creation of the Public Service Administration Reform Department
- Strengthening of KASEDA to support MSMEs
- Deployment of KATGIS, a modern land administration system
- Launch of a digital one-stop shop for business registration and compliance
- Establishment of farm mechanization centres in all 34 LGAs
The governor said these reforms are backed by bills before the State Assembly to guarantee long-term sustainability.
Governor Radda also detailed Katsina’s growing network of international development partnerships, led by the newly established Katsina State Development Management Board (KSDMB).
He cited strong performance in World Bank–supported projects such as AGILE, TESS, and RAAMP, as well as an expanded UNDP partnership that delivered 152 houses for internally displaced persons in Jibia.
Katsina has also secured:
- Ten containers of medical equipment worth $10 million from World Relief Agency (Michigan, USA)
- Ten additional medical-supply containers from Pure Life Medical Equipment
- Ten containers of learning materials from a U.S. education partner (two already received)
The Nigeria for Women Project has also been scaled from three LGAs to all 34 LGAs, supported by an additional ₦4 billion commitment from the state government.
In the energy sector, the governor announced progress on a 1MW hydroelectric power project in Danja, while revealing that the state recently signed an MoU with the Border Security Agency of Belarus to bolster ongoing security reforms.
Delivering the summit keynote, elder statesman Senator Ibrahim Ida, a member of the historic Vision 2010 Committee, emphasized the need for long-term policy stability and implementation discipline.
He noted that Nigeria’s development failures have stemmed not from lack of planning, but from weak institutions and political inconsistency.
“Katsina stands at a historic turning point,” Ida said. “With wise choices, private-sector leadership, and strong security, the state can build an economy that is innovative, secure, and inclusive.”
He identified Katsina’s competitive strengths—strategic border location, youthful population, fertile land and livestock resources, solid minerals, and renewable-energy potential—as key drivers that can attract large-scale investments.
The senator also advocated a holistic security strategy rooted in community intelligence, youth engagement, early warning systems, and poverty reduction—arguing that military effort alone cannot end the region’s insurgency.
During the summit, the state government signed investment MoUs with Abils Group, Dar Alhalal, Global Innovation Laboratory, and other strategic partners.
Companies already investing in the state—including Darma Rice Mill, Gobarau Agro Allied, Equatorial Marine Oil and Gas (EMOG), and Boko Fertilizer Nigeria Limited—were recognized for their role in boosting local industrial capacity.
In his welcome remarks, Alhaji Ibrahim Tukur Jikamshi, Director-General of the Katsina Investment Promotion Agency (KIPA), described the event as “a defining moment” in the state’s economic transformation.
Goodwill messages were delivered by leading industry figures, including Alhaji Dikko Ladan of Dar Alhalal, Abubakar Ibrahim Danmusa, the Nigerian Agricultural Development Fund, PwC, and others.
The summit drew a high-powered audience, including:
- Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs, Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu
- Business moguls Dahiru Barau Mangal and Dr Umar Mutallab
- Delegations from Kaduna and Yobe states
- Members of the Katsina State Executive Council
- Investors from across Nigeria and abroad
Governor Radda ended by reaffirming that all economic reforms are anchored on human development.
“Your investments will build factories, create jobs, power clinics, support schools, and transform lives,” he said. “Katsina is ready—and open—for business.”
