Katsina govt disburses N3.1bn cash grants to small businesses

The Katsina State Government has launched a N3.1 billion grant scheme targeting more than 62,000 nano, micro and small enterprises across the state’s 34 local government areas.

At the launch of the initiative, which will be implemented through the Katsina State Enterprise Development Agency (KASEDA), Governor Dikko Radda said it was aimed at strengthening grassroots businesses, improving household incomes, creating jobs and stimulating economic activity.

Under the scheme, nano enterprises will receive N50,000 each, micro enterprises N100,000 each, while small enterprises will receive N150,000 each, depending on their classification.

“Our entrepreneurs are not merely participants in our economy; they are its engine room. When we strengthen them, we strengthen the very foundation of Katsina State,” Radda said.

The governor said beneficiaries would include traders, mechanics, tailors, welders, vulcanisers, furniture makers, artisans and other small-scale operators. He added that 2,000 business kiosks and customised signboards would also be provided.

“We are not merely distributing grants; we are investing in productive capacity. We are not merely providing kiosks; we are strengthening the infrastructure of grassroots commerce. And we are not merely installing signages; we are opening doors to customers and economic opportunities,” the governor said.

Radda explained that the initiative followed an extensive mapping exercise of businesses along major road corridors across the state, which identified gaps in financing, business infrastructure and commercial visibility. The findings informed the programme’s three-pronged approach: financial grants, purpose-built kiosks and customised business signage.

He said the signage would improve the visibility and identity of participating enterprises, making it easier for customers to locate businesses and access their products and services.

He noted that in 2025, interest-free loans worth N3.5 billion were disbursed to more than 6,000 small and medium-sized enterprises, creating over 5,000 jobs.

Earlier in his speech, the Director-General of KASEDA, Dr Babangida Ruma, said the grant scheme was backed by a new digital business database that would serve as a platform for strengthening enterprise development in the state.

He described the integrated digital enterprise database as an important institutional asset that would support beneficiary targeting, programme monitoring, enterprise analysis and future policy decisions.

“The grants will strengthen businesses. The kiosks will improve their commercial infrastructure. The signages will make them more visible. But this digital platform will provide the intelligence to design better programmes, target support more effectively and monitor enterprise growth for years to come,” Ruma said.

Ruma assured that the agency would maintain professionalism, transparency and accountability in implementing the programme. He urged beneficiaries to invest their grants productively, maintain their kiosks and build sustainable enterprises capable of creating jobs and expanding economic opportunities.