The Katsina State Government has unveiled plans to train 10,000 artisans across the state’s 34 local government areas as part of Governor Dikko Umaru Radda’s renewed drive to promote vocational skills, entrepreneurship and youth empowerment.
The 18-month skills acquisition programme, scheduled to commence in September 2026, is designed to equip beneficiaries with practical and marketable skills capable of creating employment opportunities, promoting self-reliance and strengthening Katsina’s skilled workforce.
The Coordinator of the Katsina State Talent Hunt and Innovation Centre, Faisal Jafar Rafindadi, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja while outlining the centre’s next phase of talent development and vocational training.
Rafindadi said the initiative was building on nearly a decade of talent discovery and development efforts in the state, including the foundation laid under the administration of former Governor Aminu Bello Masari.
According to him, the new programme will focus largely on vocational and technical trades, including carpentry, plastering, interlocking production and installation, plumbing, electrical works, Plaster of Paris (POP) installation, aluminium window and door fabrication, as well as Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
He said the 10,000 beneficiaries would be selected from the 34 local government areas, with registration forms distributed through the local councils to facilitate the selection process.
“The objective is to equip participants with practical skills that can enable them to establish businesses, secure employment and contribute meaningfully to the economic development of Katsina State,” he said.
Rafindadi explained that training would be practical and specialised, with participants expected to acquire skills that could translate into sustainable businesses and livelihoods.
He also disclosed plans to formally launch an office for the Katsina State Talent Hunt and Innovation Centre, which would serve as a hub for coordinating the skills acquisition programme, talent discovery and innovation activities.
Governor Radda is expected to inaugurate the centre as part of efforts to strengthen vocational development and expand economic opportunities for young people and skilled workers in the state.
The coordinator said the centre was partnering with the Katsina State Institute of Technology and Management and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to support the implementation and expansion of the programme.
He expressed optimism that the initiative would boost entrepreneurship, reduce unemployment and help beneficiaries transform their talents and newly acquired skills into sustainable sources of income.
Further details on registration, training locations and beneficiary selection are expected to be released ahead of the September commencement date.
The planned training marks a new phase in the evolution of the Katsina National Talent Hunt Challenge, launched in late 2020 under the Masari administration to identify, nurture and promote hidden talents and innovative abilities among young people in the state.
Through the Katsina Public Exhibition and Innovation Centre, the initiative sought to promote youth creativity, reduce restiveness and provide productive alternatives to social vices and criminal activities, including recruitment into banditry.
The maiden Katsina National Talent Hunt Challenge culminated in February 2022 at Bello Kofar Bai Hall, Katsina, with participants competing in categories such as ICT, Art and Design, Automobile Modelling, Music and Entertainment.
Winners and outstanding participants received cash prizes and empowerment packages, with prizes in some categories reaching ₦5 million, alongside vehicles and other incentives.
The talent development initiative has since evolved, with plans for wider expansion through the Nigeria Talent Exploration Challenge and partnerships with technical and vocational institutions.
The proposed training of 10,000 artisans under Governor Radda therefore represents a continuation and expansion of the talent development vision initiated during the Masari era, with a stronger emphasis on vocational skills, innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods for Katsina residents.
