By:Abdullahi Inuwa
Katsina sets pace in digital innovation, youth entrepreneurship drive
Katsina State has blazed a new trail in Nigeria’s tech and innovation landscape as Governor Malam Dikko Umaru Radda inaugurated the Katsina State Council for Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship, officially making the state the first in the country to domesticate and institutionalize the Startup Law.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony held on Thursday at the Government House, Katsina, Governor Radda announced the creation of a ₦250 million Startup Grants and Investment Fund, an annual initiative designed to boost innovation-driven enterprises and empower young entrepreneurs to build globally competitive businesses.
“This law is not just a document—it’s an engine for growth,” Governor Radda declared. “It creates a clear framework to support startups, streamline regulations, and connect our innovators with opportunities, markets, and investors.”
The governor said the establishment of the council marks a milestone in Katsina’s journey toward a digital and inclusive economy, emphasizing that his administration’s vision is to modernize governance, diversify the economy, and generate sustainable employment across all local government areas.
Highlighting the broader progress made under his administration, Radda pointed to the creation of the Katsina State Directorate of Information and Communication Technology (KATDICT) and the Katsina Development and Management Board (KTDMB), both of which are central to advancing the state’s innovation ecosystem.
“With Nigeria’s ICT sector contributing about 18 percent to the national GDP, Katsina must not stand behind—we must lead,” he stated. “We are sending a clear message: our state is ready to build an innovation economy that produces jobs, prosperity, and global relevance.”
In his remarks, the Director General of KATDICT, Naufal Ahmad, commended Governor Radda’s visionary leadership, noting that Katsina’s early investment in the startup ecosystem had already yielded success stories.
“At the Arewa Tech Festival, Katsina startups won every major prize and later triumphed at national and international levels. That was not luck—it was deliberate leadership,” Ahmad said.
He revealed that the Katsina Startup Law provides for an end-to-end innovation support system, including incubators, accelerators, venture-building programmes, and a Credit Guarantee Scheme allowing startups to access funding using intellectual property and other assets as collateral.
Ahmad also announced plans to launch a Startup Support and Engagement Portal—a one-stop digital platform for registration, incentives, procurement, and investment access—as well as a Startup Consultative Forum to ensure inclusive participation in ecosystem decision-making.
Governor Radda disclosed that he will personally chair the newly inaugurated council, which includes top government officials, academic representatives, industry leaders, and members of the startup community—including two women representatives from the Consultative Forum.
“I chose to chair this council myself to ensure urgency and precision in achieving our goals,” he affirmed. “Together, we will build an economy where ideas become enterprises, and technology serves as a tool for prosperity, peace, and progress.”
Among dignitaries present were the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Abdulkadir Mamman Nasir; Principal Private Secretary, Hon. Abdullahi Aliyu Turaji; Executive Secretary of KTDMB, Dr. Mustapha Shehu; and representatives of the Director-General of NITDA, alongside several commissioners and senior government officials.
The event reaffirmed Katsina’s emergence as a national leader in digital innovation and youth empowerment, setting a model for other states to follow in transforming Nigeria’s knowledge economy.
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