Katsina State Governor Malam Dikko Radda has announced that his administration has invested more than ₦4 billion in renovating, modernising and equipping the Katsina Youth Craft Village to tackle youth unemployment, poverty and insecurity through vocational training and entrepreneurship. The disclosure came at the institution's second graduation ceremony on Monday, where 1,662 youths trained in more than 15 vocational trades received certificates and start-up equipment to launch their businesses. The investment covered comprehensive renovation of the centre and provision of modern machinery, tools and equipment to meet contemporary industry standards and workforce demands, according to Radda.
The number of graduates has grown sharply, rising from 648 at the previous graduation exercise to 1,662, a 156.79 per cent increase. The trainees completed intensive programmes in trades including tailoring, welding and fabrication, carpentry, electrical installation, information and communication technology, computer repairs, catering, cosmetology, plumbing and automobile repairs. Radda emphasised that the administration was committed to ensuring vocational training translated into economic independence by providing graduates with the tools needed to establish businesses. He announced plans to train and empower more than 5,000 youths across craft villages in the state before the end of his first tenure and pledged to establish vocational training centres across all 34 local government areas to expand access to practical skills, particularly for young people in rural communities.
The governor urged graduates 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. The sewing machines, the welding machines and the laptops represent your future. They are your factories," Radda said. The Katsina Youth Craft Village coordinator, Abdullahi Kofar-Sauro, described the graduation as a significant milestone and said the graduates were leaving 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.
Former Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shema commended Radda for sustaining and expanding the craft village, which 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 noted that some graduates had progressed to occupy important professional positions, while others had established businesses in different communities. 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, and argued that technical education should no longer be regarded as an inferior alternative to conventional academic qualifications.