Katsina State Governor and Chairman of the North-West Governors’ Forum, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has reiterated his administration’s commitment to human capital development as the fundamental cornerstone for sustainable growth and prosperity in Katsina State and the wider Northern Nigerian region.
Represented by the Deputy Governor, Hon. Faruk Lawal, Governor Radda shared these insights on Tuesday while addressing participants at the Human Capital Development Summit for Northern Nigeria, organized by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation at the NAF Conference Centre in Abuja.
Governor Radda emphasized that the future of Northern Nigeria depends largely on the development of its people through strategic investments.
“The North-West remains the most populous sub-region in Nigeria and possesses the largest share of Nigeria’s youth population. This is our greatest strength. However, we must confront challenges such as educational gaps, healthcare deficiencies, insecurity, displacement, and youth unemployment if we are to unlock the region’s full potential,” Governor Radda stated.
The Governor stressed that no single state can address these challenges in isolation, noting that regional cooperation among North-West states remains critical to achieving sustainable development.
He emphasized that because the states share borders, markets, cultures, and common challenges, their responses must be coordinated, regional in outlook, and tightly focused on education, healthcare, skills acquisition, and job creation.
Rolling out Katsina State’s achievements under his “Building Your Future” agenda, the Governor disclosed that his administration has constructed 152 new schools under the AGILE Programme while systematically rehabilitating existing educational facilities across the state.
He further revealed that the government recruited 7,325 teachers in 2024, with an additional 2,000 teachers currently being processed for recruitment.
To boost instructional quality, three Teachers’ Training Centres will soon be established across the state’s three senatorial zones, and rural teachers are already benefiting from newly approved special allowances.
In line with the state’s digital education drive, over 20,000 teachers have been equipped with tablets and trained in digital learning methodologies. The administration has also elevated vocational and technical education by upgrading the former department into a full Ministry of Higher, Vocational, and Technical Education.
Regarding scholarship support, the Governor disclosed that the state government is sponsoring students studying Medicine, Biotechnology, Artificial Intelligence, and other cutting-edge disciplines both locally and abroad, backed by a 100 percent increase in local scholarship allowances.
The Governor also highlighted major agricultural investments undertaken by the administration, including the annual procurement and subsidized distribution of 400,000 bags of fertilizer to farmers across the 34 local government areas.
On employment generation, Governor Radda revealed that the administration created 35,903 jobs within its first year in office through teacher recruitment, security engagements, religious services support, and community development initiatives. The Katsina State Enterprise Development Agency (KASEDA) has also continued to strengthen entrepreneurship, supporting over 5,000 SMEs, facilitating approximately ₦2.5 billion in financing, creating about 15,000 jobs, and conducting more than 200 training and capacity-building programs.
Addressing security, the Governor stated that the establishment of the Community Watch Corps, alongside the implementation of both kinetic and non-kinetic security strategies, has significantly improved safety.
He noted that the return of peace to many communities demonstrates that investments in security are yielding tangible results.
Governor Radda concluded by calling for stronger partnerships among governments, development partners, and the private sector to accelerate human capital development across Northern Nigeria, asserting that real progress is built through functional schools, quality healthcare, mechanized agriculture, and secure communities.