For Nigeria to achieve sustainable economic development, farmers and small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) must be empowered, Engr. Umar Abdullahi Ganduje has said.

Ganduje, the Executive Director, Technical Services at the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), stressed that strengthening SMEs remains critical to national economic growth.
“Nations that are economically developed got there by empowering SMEs, and that is the path we are following,” he said while empowering farmers and small-scale entrepreneurs with solar equipment and irrigation facilities at an empowerment programme held on Sunday evening in Kano.
During the event, Ganduje distributed solar-powered irrigation pumps to 120 young farmers and solar energy systems to 160 SMEs across Dawakin-Tofa, Tofa and Rimin Gado Federal Constituency.

The initiative formed part of a broader empowerment scheme targeting about 280 beneficiaries.
In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja and signed by Edwin Olofu, media aide to Ganduje, he explained that each beneficiary received a 1.2-kilowatt solar power system to enable uninterrupted business operations and reduce reliance on fuel.
Ganduje said the programme was designed to support both male and female youths whose livelihoods depend on electricity, particularly in rural communities.

According to him, farmers would also benefit from year-round agricultural activities through the use of solar-powered irrigation pumps.
He noted that the initiative marked the seventh empowerment programme executed in the constituency, with more interventions planned.
“In the last one year, we have implemented several programmes focused on empowering youths and women, especially in rural communities like this,” he said.

“These solar systems will support businesses such as barbing salons, tailoring, POS services and computer-related enterprises. Many of these businesses will thrive in the North-West, and we are still exploring more opportunities.”
Ganduje disclosed that 13,947 people across Dawakin-Tofa, Tofa and Rimin Gado had benefited from various empowerment initiatives so far.
He added that the programme aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on national and human capital development.

In his remarks, the Deputy Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, Hon. Muhammad Bello Butu-Butu, described the initiative as timely and impactful.
“This empowerment programme will go a long way in improving the livelihoods of our youths,” he said, while also calling for unity among members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Similarly, the Chairman of Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area, Hon. Anas Dan Maliki, commended the initiative and pledged to replicate similar programmes at the grassroots level.

Some beneficiaries also expressed appreciation. A business centre operator, Sulaiman Dan Sudu, said the solar equipment would significantly improve his productivity, while a tailor, Maman Talatu, noted that it would ease the electricity challenges affecting her business.
Top APC leaders and stakeholders in Kano State attended the event, which also marked the official launch of the seventh phase of the empowerment programme.