Katsina State Governor Dikko Umaru Radda has restated his administration’s commitment to expanding support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, describing the sector as a key driver of job creation, wealth creation and economic growth.
Radda spoke 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, Babangida Kabir Ruma, at Government House in Katsina.
According to a statement issued by the Katsina State Government, the governor said KASEDA was established to provide entrepreneurs, artisans, women and young people with access to finance, business development services, mentoring and technical support.
The governor, who previously served as Director-General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN, said his experience working with small businesses had shaped his understanding of the challenges confronting entrepreneurs.
“Many people do not realise that they are part of the MSME sector. Any business activity that generates income and profit contributes to this economic ecosystem,” Radda said.
He said the Katsina State Government had introduced grants, interest-free loans and other enterprise support programmes aimed at helping businesses start, survive and expand.
Radda Calls for Sustainable Use of MSME Funds
Radda stressed that beneficiaries of revolving funds must repay according to agreed terms to allow other entrepreneurs to benefit from the same intervention.
“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.
The governor urged beneficiaries to use government funds for their intended purposes and maintain proper business records to improve their eligibility for future support.
He also identified poor processing, packaging, branding and limited access to markets as some of the challenges limiting the growth and competitiveness of locally produced goods.
Radda said entrepreneurs needed to focus more on value addition rather than simply selling raw products.
“The difference is often not in the raw material. It is in value addition, processing, packaging, branding and access to better markets,” he said.
He directed KASEDA to strengthen its business development services, mentoring and technical assistance to help entrepreneurs improve their products and access wider markets.
The governor also assured that his administration would continue strengthening KASEDA and implementing MSME support programmes transparently and in line with established guidelines.
20,000 KASEDA Beneficiaries Form MSME Coalition
Earlier, KASEDA Director-General Babangida Kabir Ruma said beneficiaries of various government enterprise interventions had formed the MSME Coalition for Dikko Radda 2027.
According to Ruma, the coalition has about 20,000 members comprising beneficiaries who received financial assistance ranging from ₦50,000 to ₦5 million, depending on the nature and scale of their businesses.
He said the coalition had declared support for Governor Radda and President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.
The group also donated ₦1 million in support, according to the information provided by the Katsina State Government.
Ruma said the coalition planned to establish a call centre and situation room as part of its activities, while a registration platform had been created for additional interested members.
The KASEDA chief commended the governor for sustaining support programmes for entrepreneurs and said the agency would continue working to expand access to finance, skills development, business development services and other enterprise opportunities.
The meeting was attended by the Principal Private Secretary to the Governor, Abdullahi Aliyu Turaji; former SMEDAN Director-General, Oluwale Fasanya; members of the Katsina State Executive Council and other senior government officials.
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