Vice President Kashim Shettima has reaffirmed that President Bola Tinubu‘s administration is committed to building inclusive prosperity through enterprise-driven reforms that empower Nigerians and stimulate sustainable growth.

“We are building a nation where every Nigerian entrepreneur, from our cities to our rural communities, has access to the tools and opportunities needed to thrive. This is the spirit of enterprise that will drive Nigeria’s renewed hope,” Shettima said on Tuesday in Katsina while launching the 9th Expanded National MSME Clinic.

He announced President Tinubu’s approval of a ₦250,000 non-repayable grant for each outstanding Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) exhibiting at the clinic, a move he described as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the backbone of Nigeria’s economy and foster inclusive development.

According to him, the administration has also introduced several major interventions, including a N75 billion Manufacturers Fund aimed at supporting businesses in the production sector.

In his address titled “Katsina: The Spirit of Enterprise”, the Vice President said MSMEs remain the foundation of national development and a vital pillar of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“We came into office bearing the promise to ease the affairs of our nation, and our gateway to this is support for our businesses. Our micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises stand as the foundation of this foresight, and that explains our presence here in Katsina today,” he noted.

Shettima commended Governor Dikko Umaru Radda for his leadership in enterprise development, describing the establishment of the Katsina State Enterprise Development Agency (KASEDA) as a model for subnational innovation.

He disclosed that under the Rural Area Programme on Investment for Development (RAPID), 23 MSMEs in rural Katsina had received N112 million in support to scale up operations. In addition, the N5 billion Katsina State MSME Growth Fund, a joint initiative between the Federal and State Governments, has disbursed N576 million to 237 beneficiaries since its launch in June 2024.

“This matching fund is designed to boost local businesses, and Katsina has shown that it understands what it means to empower entrepreneurs,” he said.

Governor Radda, in his remarks, stated that the state’s focus on MSME development stemmed from its recognition of the role these enterprises play in driving economic growth. He noted that enterprise promotion remained central to his administration’s agenda, which is already transforming more than 100,000 small businesses across Katsina.

He assured that the state government would continue to nurture and monitor the progress of MSME clinic participants to ensure sustained growth, market access, and business development.

The Special Adviser to the President on Job Creation and MSMEs, Mr. Temitola Adekunle-Johnson, said the Tinubu administration was coordinating with development partners and private stakeholders to address challenges confronting small businesses, particularly access to finance and markets.

Also speaking, the Ministers of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, and Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musawa, commended the Katsina State Government’s proactive approach to enterprise and job creation.

Goodwill messages were delivered by the heads of SMEDAN, NEXIM Bank, NEPC, and the Bank of Industry, among others.
Following the clinic launch, Vice President Shettima commissioned key state projects, including the dual carriage Central Mosque, Kofar Murasa-Kiddies Roundabout-WTC Road and the state-of-the-art Agricultural Data and Control Centre for the Katsina State Sustainable Platform for Agriculture (KASPA).

Commending the initiatives, Shettima said projects like KASPA make agriculture “aspirational again, a career for the young, a calling for the ambitious, and a catalyst for the creative.”

He added, “When states innovate, Nigeria rises. Katsina has shown that it believes in its people’s intelligence, not just their endurance. It’s a story of a future where policy and people finally speak the same language, the language of results.”

Upon arrival in Katsina on Monday evening, the Vice President attended the maiden Katsina MSME Awards and the graduation ceremony of the Dikko Innovation Academy, where he praised the state’s legacy of education, culture, and hospitality.

“Katsina must transform again by processing what it already produces best,” Shettima said, urging residents to align with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to consolidate development and deepen democracy.