Dikko Radda, the Governor of Katsina State, was privileged to receive the esteemed MSME friendly governor award at the National MSME Award 2024 ceremony at the Presidential Villa. This is in recognition of his government’s unwavering dedication and commitment to backing the advancement of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Katsina State. It also acknowledges the persistent endeavor in establishing an enabling environment for the progression and success of small businesses, underscoring the government’s commitment to enhancing the entrepreneurial landscape in Katsina state. It can be recalled that Dr. Dikko Radda was recently awarded The Best Governor of the Year by the LEADERSHIP Newspapers.
Recently, When the Vice-President Sen. Kashim Shettima visited Katsina State for the North West Peace and Security Summit organised by the Katsina State Government, he commissioned a host of projects in the State. One of the most outstanding of such projects is the Remodelled Industrial Development Centre. Also commissioned were the Common Facility Centre, and the flag-off of the First Katsina MSME Clinic and Fair in Katsina. The Remodelled IDC, is a public/ private partnership between Katsina State Government and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN. It is very well equipped with modern tools and machinery to enhance the productivity of Small businesses. The facility includes upgraded workshops for a conducive working environment, State-of-the-art computer labs, and a center for digital skills training and customer support. It also boasts of uninterrupted power supply with a 30KVA hybrid inverter system. It also has upgraded sanitation facilities with an access road of about 1.7 kilometres. Represented by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Sen. Hassan Hadejia, the VP lauded Gov. Dikko Radda’s focus on data driven decision making for MSME development mirroring the approach at the federal level. He emphasised the significance of MSMEs, accounting for 96% of Nigerian businesses, 84% of the workforce, and half of the GDP.
The VP particularly commended Governor Radda’s creation of a 5 billion naira MSME fund, in partnership with Bank of Industry, and SMEDAN. This will provide affordable financing for small businesses in the State which is crucial for their development and sustainability. He highlighted that the facilities made available in the Remodelled IDC will equip small businesses in the State towards participation and competition in e-commerce and digital trade, and eventually place them on the map of global marketing opportunities. He also applauded the appointment of Hajiya Aisha Aminu Malumfashi as KASEDA Director General, impressing on the impact women can have on the growth and development of MSMEs.
“We must address the root causes of banditry, which often stem from economic deprivation and lack of opportunities. Vocational Training, job opportunities, and support for small and medium sized enterprises can help divert vulnerable individuals from criminal activities.” This highlights Dr. Dikko Radda’s non-kinetic approach to curbing the insecurity menace gripping Katsina State, and the North West in general. From the successes achieved at the Peace and Security Summit hosted in Katsina State, The Government of Germany is providing 5000 housing units for internally displaced persons, IDPs, as well as support for 5000 businesses in hard hit locations of the banditry menace. This also adds value to Dr. Dikko Radda’s non kinetic approach to fighting banditry. Jobless youths, idle minds, and a lot of the uneducated and both skilled and unskilled flock, serve as fertile ground for banditry recruitments. Sometimes these youths have been identified as partaking in the menace just to eke out an existence. The MSMEs strategy is to convert their energy and time onto a meaningful living environment where they can run small and medium businesses, and be contributors to our GDP, which would ofcourse benefit the entire society at large.
Dr. Dikko Radda says that, “addressing insecurity is not solely the responsibility of our security agencies alone. We must make it a habit to engage with local communities, traditional and religious leaders to foster a culture of co-operation and trust. We must work together towards the growth and development of our localities”. The Governor of Zamfara State, Dr. Dauda Lawal was effusive with praises for the Katsina State Governor’s efforts in fighting banditry in Katsina, as well as uniting the North West region, and leading them towards curbing the insecurity menace bedeviling them. Dr. Dikko Radda has been quite valorous and very intentional towards both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to the insecurity problem in Katsina, as well as spearheading a committed front for all the North Western States. He has since set up the Katsina Community Watch Corp, which is a community policing initiative, drawing from all the wards in Katsina State. It boasts of a first batch of 2400-man strong group of vigilantes who have been well trained by ex-military personnel in the State, in collaboration with other state security actors including the Police, the Army and the National Civil Defence Corps. They have been trained in combat and intelligence gathering, and have been equipped with Armored Personnel Carriers, Hilux vans, and hundreds of motorcycles to aid their partnership with the state security organisations. It is not an uncommon sight to find Dr. Dikko Radda in the midst of the security agents along with the community watch corps, taking the war to the enclaves of the bandits. This community security corp is being championed in a host of the North Western States like Zamfara and Sokoto, akin to the Katsina State model.