Katsina Invests ₦250 Million Annual Fund to Stimulate Digital Innovation, Entrepreneurship
The Katsina State Government has introduced a ₦250 million annual Startup Grants and Investment Fund to promote entrepreneurship and accelerate the growth of technology-driven businesses across the state.
Governor Dikko Radda announced the initiative on Thursday during the inauguration of the Katsina State Council for Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship, describing it as “a landmark step that makes our state the first in Nigeria to fully domesticate and institutionalise the Startup Law.”
Radda said the move underscores his administration’s resolve to build a digitally empowered and innovation-led economy capable of creating sustainable opportunities for young people.
“To strengthen this commitment, I am proud to announce the establishment of the Katsina Startup Grants and Investment Fund with a guaranteed minimum sum of ₦250 million annually,” he stated. “This fund will help emerging businesses grow, scale, and compete globally.”
The governor explained that the domesticated Startup Law, signed earlier this year, provides a framework to nurture startups by streamlining regulations, encouraging collaboration between government and private sectors, and stimulating investment in digital enterprises.
Through the Katsina State Directorate of Information and Communication Technology (KATDICT), he said, the state had begun turning policy into tangible action.
These include startup incubation and acceleration programmes, partnerships with national and local tech hubs, and youth empowerment initiatives focused on digital skills and access to markets.
“These efforts are already producing tangible results, with Katsina startups now competing and winning recognition at national and international stages,” Radda noted.
Chaired by the governor, the new Startup Council will oversee all innovation, entrepreneurship, and digital policy activities in the state.
“Our goal is to build an economy where young people turn ideas into thriving enterprises, where innovation drives job creation, and where technology becomes a tool for prosperity, peace, and progress,” he said.
Radda described the domestication of the Startup Law as “a defining moment” in the state’s digital journey, positioning Katsina as a hub for technological advancement in northern Nigeria and beyond.
The Nigeria Startup Act, signed into law in 2022, serves as the framework for this initiative. The Act establishes the National Council for Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship and a Startup Investment Seed Fund to promote the growth of the country’s startup ecosystem.
However, implementation has been uneven across states, a gap Katsina’s government now appears determined to close.
