Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has clinched the Best Governor in Human Capital Development Award at the 25th Independent Newspaper Awards.
The award ceremony, comes up April 18, 2026, at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos, will be chaired by the Soun of Ogbomoso and attended by the Olubadan of Ibadan.
The Governor attracted over 28,000 votes for the award and was covered by three television stations and international journalists. The Human Capital Development award, however, was his to keep — and for good reason.
It is important to note that under Radda’s “Building Your Future” agenda, more than 36,000 women benefited from state support programmes in 2025 alone. By early 2026, another 14,000 women had been empowered.
Similarly, the 2026 state budget committed over N11 billion to support female-owned businesses and economic empowerment programmes across Katsina. A N4 billion counterpart fund was also set aside for the Nigeria for Women Project.
The Ministry of Women’s Affairs also ran the Mega Women Empowerment Programme, reaching 14,450 women in small businesses and vulnerable groups. Another 5,100 women across all 34 local government areas received training and complete noodle-making starter packs. A further 3,610 women benefited from Ramadan empowerment packages.
In agriculture, the Ministry of Agriculture through FADAMA and KT-CARES offices supported 19,230 women with inputs, services, and assets. Of these, 13,638 women received enterprise development assets, including vegetable grinding machines, hammer mills, groundnut oil extractors, threshers, and goats for livestock production.
The Katsina State Enterprise Development Agency (KASEDA) reached 5,306 women through start-up grants, non-interest loans, IT support, and capacity-building programmes. Of that number, 174 women accessed interest-free financing through a partnership with the Bank of Industry and Sterling Bank Plc.
Under the Nigeria for Women Project, 1,318 women affinity groups were trained on mutual savings. The initiative reached 32,447 beneficiaries and generated cumulative savings of approximately N14.9 million.
Beyond money, Radda’s government backed its spending with policy. Katsina has domesticated the National Policy on Women’s Economic Empowerment, a move designed to close gender gaps and widen women’s participation in the state’s economy. Women Enterprise Hubs are also being established across all 34 local government areas to deliver continuous digital skills training and improve market access.
The Independent Award, now in its 25th year, recognises excellence in governance across Nigeria. Katsina’s performance in human capital development under Governor Radda is not just award-worthy — it sets the standard for what every state should aspire to deliver.
It is equally important to note that Governor Radda was also nominated for the Best Reformer in Education award, but that category was secured by another state.
