KATSINA, Nigeria — Governor Dikko Umaru Radda’s administration is set to expand a talent development initiative pioneered under former Governor Aminu Bello Masari, with plans to train and empower 10,000 artisans across Katsina State’s 34 local government areas.
The 18-month skills acquisition and empowerment programme, scheduled to begin in September 2026, will focus on vocational and technical training aimed at equipping participants with marketable skills, promoting self-reliance, creating jobs and strengthening the state’s skilled workforce.
The Coordinator of the Katsina State Talent Hunt and Innovation Centre, Faisal Jafar Rafindadi, disclosed the plan on Wednesday in Abuja while outlining the centre’s next phase of talent development and vocational training activities.
Rafindadi said the centre had, over the past decade, focused on discovering, developing and motivating individuals with diverse talents, helping young people and artisans identify their strengths and turn them into productive ventures.
The proposed training will cover a range of construction and technology-related 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).
According to him, 10,000 beneficiaries will be selected from the state’s 34 local government areas for structured and practical training in their chosen fields.
“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,” Rafindadi said.
He explained that application forms would be distributed to the local government areas to facilitate beneficiary selection, while the centre would coordinate the overall implementation of the programme from its headquarters in Katsina.
The 18-month programme, he said, is designed to provide practical and specialised instruction capable of producing a new generation of skilled artisans, entrepreneurs and innovators.
The coordinator also disclosed plans to officially launch an office for the Katsina State Talent Hunt and Innovation Centre, which is expected to serve as a hub for coordinating the skills acquisition programme and other 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 across the state.
Rafindadi said the centre is working with the Katsina State Institute of Technology and Management and the National Board for Technical Education to support the implementation and expansion of the initiative.
He expressed optimism that the programme would boost entrepreneurship, reduce unemployment and enable participants to turn their talents and acquired skills into sustainable sources of livelihood.
Further details on registration, training locations and beneficiary selection are expected ahead of the programme’s commencement in September.
Building on a Talent Development Legacy
The planned training of 10,000 artisans marks a new phase in the evolution of the Katsina National Talent Hunt Challenge, launched in late 2020 under the administration of former Governor Aminu Bello Masari.
The initiative was conceived as a platform for identifying, nurturing and promoting the hidden talents and innovative abilities of young people in Katsina State.
Through the Katsina Public Exhibition and Innovation Centre, the programme sought to encourage innovation, reduce youth restiveness and create productive economic opportunities.
It was also designed to steer vulnerable young people away from social vices by providing constructive alternatives to criminality, including recruitment into banditry.
At its inception, registration and coordination platforms were established to enable talented individuals from different parts of the state to showcase their abilities across various fields.
The maiden edition of the Katsina National Talent Hunt Challenge climaxed in February 2022 at the Bello Kofar Bai Hall in Katsina, where participants competed in categories including ICT, art and design, automobile modelling, music and entertainment, among others.
Outstanding participants received substantial rewards, with winners in some categories taking home cash prizes of up to ₦5 million, alongside vehicles and other empowerment packages.
The initiative has since continued to evolve, with plans for wider expansion through the Nigeria Talent Exploration Challenge and partnerships with relevant technical and vocational institutions.
The proposed training of 10,000 artisans under the Radda administration therefore represents both a continuation and expansion of the vision initiated during the Masari era, with renewed emphasis on vocational skills, innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods.
For Katsina, the programme signals a shift from talent discovery alone towards a broader, skills-based empowerment model intended to translate potential into employment, enterprise and long-term economic opportunity.
