KATSINA — Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umar Radda, has said developing strong and sustainable enterprises is critical to growing the state’s economy, creating jobs and strengthening security.
Radda stated this on Saturday at the fourth CEOs Round Table Summit and Exhibition organised in Katsina by the Initiative of Innovative Youthpreneurs Sustainable Development.
The Governor urged women and young people to acquire the skills, capacity and market access needed to transform their ideas into sustainable businesses.
He described entrepreneurship as the ability to identify problems and provide workable solutions, saying enterprise development was important to household prosperity, job creation and economic growth.
Radda particularly commended the resilience of women entrepreneurs and their growing contribution to commerce and family livelihoods.
He, however, said access to finance alone was not sufficient to guarantee business success, stressing the need for entrepreneurs to combine financing with appropriate skills and viable markets.
“The links are capacity, market and finance,” the Governor said, assuring qualified entrepreneurs, particularly women, of the state government’s willingness to support them.
Radda also linked productive economic engagement with security and social stability, noting that creating opportunities for young people could reduce idleness and some of the social pressures contributing to insecurity.
He urged young entrepreneurs not to abandon vocational skills and traditional trades, but to modernise them, improve their capacity and develop viable markets for their products.
Speaking earlier, Convener of the CEOs Round Table, Lubabatu Umar Ahmed, said the initiative was established to connect entrepreneurs with ideas, opportunities and successful business leaders.
Ahmed commended the Radda administration for its support for small and medium-scale enterprises, saying interventions through agencies and programmes including KASEDA, Women Affairs and Girl-Child Education had empowered 17,400 people in the state.
She said the Round Table had evolved beyond bringing entrepreneurs together to helping participants identify opportunities capable of transforming their ideas into successful ventures.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Banking and Finance, Bilkisu Suleiman Ibrahim, who represented the First Lady, Hajiya Zulaihat Dikko Radda, urged young entrepreneurs to embrace technology, mentorship and financial inclusion.
She described the summit as a platform for connecting business leaders, innovators and young entrepreneurs while creating opportunities for partnerships.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Aliyu Lawal Zakari Shargalle, said the administration had continued to invest in practical skills and enterprise development.
He disclosed that 120 youths were trained under the Songhai programme in the first year, followed by 361 in the second year, with another 361 currently undergoing training, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to more than 800.
According to him, beneficiaries receive start-up capital and grants after completing their training.
Shargalle added that about 700 young men and women were undergoing additional skills acquisition and educational training, with the government providing financial support, modern toolkits and monthly allowances.
Commissioner for Women Affairs, Aisha Aminu Abdullahi Malumfash, said the administration was expanding economic opportunities for women through the Nigeria for Women Project.
She announced that more than 4,000 women were expected to showcase their businesses at an exhibition scheduled for October 6, while 2,200 women were expected to receive grants.
She added that 1,700 Women Affinity Groups had already been established under the programme.
The CEOs Round Table brought together government officials, business leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators and other stakeholders to exchange ideas, build networks and explore opportunities for sustainable enterprise development in Katsina State.
