The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) and the Katsina State Government have engaged business leaders and stakeholders to assess and accelerate business-enabling reforms in the state.
The engagement took place during a State Action on Business-Enabling Reforms (SABER) Technical Session and Statewide Town Hall Meeting held in Katsina. The event, jointly organised by PEBEC and the state government, brought together key players from both the public and private sectors to evaluate the state’s progress in implementing business-friendly policies and aligning with national economic goals.
Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, represented by Deputy Governor Hon. Faruk Lawal, reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to removing bottlenecks and creating a more conducive environment for businesses, especially Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
He noted that the state had already made considerable progress through various reform measures, including the restructuring of the state’s business framework and the establishment of the Katsina Enterprises Development Agency (KASEDA) to support nano, small, and medium-scale businesses.
“As a government, we have made the ease of doing business a priority. We began by strengthening leadership in this area, with the Deputy Governor heading the Ease of Doing Business and MSMEs councils,” Radda said.
In a televised address, PEBEC Director-General Zahrah Audu explained that the nationwide sub-national tour was designed to boost state-level ownership of reform efforts and deepen the implementation of SABER for long-term impact. She noted that PEBEC, which is supported by the World Bank, aims to drive sustainable economic growth across Nigeria through these reforms.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Katsina State Investment Promotion Agency (KIPA), Ibrahim Tukur-Jikamshi, described the town hall as a strategic move to entrench the ease of doing business culture in the state. He said Governor Radda had adopted the SABER framework not only as a benchmark for compliance but as a key tool for economic transformation and inclusion.
He highlighted several reform achievements, including the waiver of Right of Way (RoW) charges for fibre optic development, interest-free loans for MSMEs, and exemptions from select levies for qualifying businesses to reduce startup costs.
“We’re also enhancing transparency and public feedback mechanisms. All ministries, departments, and agencies now publish timelines and costs for services,” Tukur-Jikamshi said, adding that a high-level reforms implementation committee has been set up to drive results across all sectors.
