Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Radda, has disclosed that his administration has invested over ₦4 billion Naira in renovating, modernising and equipping the Katsina Youth Craft Village to address youth unemployment, poverty and insecurity through vocational training and entrepreneurship.
Radda announced this on Monday in Katsina at the institution’s second graduation ceremony, where 1,662 youths trained in more than 15 vocational trades received certificates and start-up equipment to establish their businesses.
He said the investment covered the comprehensive renovation of the centre and the provision of modern machinery, tools and equipment to meet contemporary industry standards and workforce demands.
The governor stressed that his administration had established an innovation hub and a dedicated innovation office at the centre to promote technological advancement, creativity and practical solutions that can stimulate economic growth.
According to him, the number of beneficiaries rose from 648 at the previous graduation exercise to 1,662, a 156.79 per cent increase.
“Today, barely a year later, we are here to graduate over 1,662 youths with start-up packs. This represents a 156.79 per cent increase in our youth empowerment drive. This is unprecedented, and it shows that our agenda is working.
“The beneficiaries had undergone intensive training in various trades, including tailoring, welding and fabrication, carpentry, electrical installation, information and communication technology, computer repairs, catering, cosmetology, plumbing and automobile repairs.
“This administration is committed to ensuring that vocational training translates into economic independence by providing graduates with the tools needed to establish businesses rather than merely issuing certificates.
“We will not just give them certificates and send them away. We are empowering each and every one of them with start-up tools and equipment worth millions of naira to enable them to start their own businesses immediately.
“We are giving them the hook and the net, not just the fish. This is how we build an economy. This is how we fight unemployment and insecurity,” the governor stated.
He described vocational skills acquisition as an effective strategy for reducing unemployment and addressing socioeconomic challenges that could expose young people to criminal activities.
“An idle youth is a danger to society, but a skilled youth is an asset to the nation and an asset to society,” he added.
Addressing the graduates, Radda urged them not to sell the equipment provided by the government, describing the items as investments in their economic future.
“I urge you in the name of Allah, do not sell your start-up packs. I repeat, do not sell your start-up packs. The sewing machines, the welding machines and the laptops represent your future. They are your factories,” he said.
He encouraged them to use the equipment productively, grow their businesses and create employment opportunities for others, while upholding honesty, innovation and professionalism.
The governor also announced plans to train and empower more than 5,000 youths across craft villages in the state before the end of his first tenure.
He pledged to establish vocational training centres across the state’s 34 local government areas to expand access to practical skills, particularly for young people in rural communities.
“We will make sure that we establish these centres in all the local governments in the state, and we will do it very soon. We have no time to waste. We will expand KYCV, build more centres and continue to support our young people,” he assured.
Radda commended the institution’s management, instructors, governing board and the Ministry of Higher, Technical and Vocational Education for their contributions to the state’s youth empowerment programme.
In his remarks, former Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Shema, commended Radda for sustaining and expanding the craft village, which he said was established about 17 years ago to provide young people, particularly those from rural and disadvantaged backgrounds, with opportunities to acquire practical skills and become economically self-reliant.
Shema recalled that the institution had attracted trainees from different parts of Nigeria and neighbouring Niger Republic, while development organisations and other institutions had expressed interest in its vocational training model.
He also recalled that the then Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, now Vice-President of Nigeria, had sponsored students to acquire skills at the centre.
The former governor said some graduates had progressed to occupy important professional positions, while others had established businesses in different communities.
He cited the example of a former trainee who reportedly became head of a mechanical department at the Federal Capital Development Authority in Abuja.
Shema also pointed to small businesses in communities such as Kankia and Charanchi as examples of how vocational training could stimulate economic activity beyond the state capital.
“If you sell them, you are actually selling your future. Use them as best as you can so that tomorrow we can see you building businesses, enterprises and companies that will serve the people of Katsina State and Nigeria,” he advised.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Higher, Technical and Vocational Education, Ahmed Aliyu, said the Radda administration had repositioned vocational education as an important tool for youth empowerment, enterprise development and economic growth.
Aliyu said technical education should no longer be regarded as an inferior alternative to conventional academic qualifications, noting that practical competence, innovation and adaptability were increasingly important in the changing global economy.
“Technical and vocational education must no longer be viewed as a second option. It is a pathway to dignity, productivity, innovation and economic independence,” he said.
Earlier, the coordinator of the Katsina Youth Craft Village, Abdullahi Kofar-Sauro, described the graduation as a significant milestone in the government’s efforts to transform unemployed youths into entrepreneurs and employers of labour.
He said the increase in beneficiaries from 648 to 1,662 reflected the impact of sustained investment in technical and vocational education.
According to him, the graduates were leaving the institution with both practical skills and start-up equipment to enable them to establish businesses and contribute to the state’s economy.
“They came as job seekers, but today they are leaving as job creators. They are equipped not only with certificates but with start-up packs to begin their enterprises immediately,” he said.
The ceremony featured the graduation of the 1,662 beneficiaries and the distribution of start-up equipment.