Vice President Kashim Shettima has reinforced the President Bola Tinubu administration’s commitment to fostering inclusive prosperity through enterprise-driven reforms.
He made the declaration yesterday while launching the 9th Expanded National MSME Clinic in Katsina State.
Shettima announced that Tinubu has approved an unconditional N250,000 grant for each outstanding Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) exhibiting at the clinic.
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He described the non-repayable grant as a key intervention to “strengthen the backbone of Nigeria’s economy” and remove historical barriers that small businesses face.
Shettima championed MSMEs as the “foundation of national foresight” and a vital element of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He emphasised the goal of ensuring “every Nigerian entrepreneur has access to the tools and opportunities needed to thrive.”
The grants are part of broader support initiatives, which Shettima disclosed also include a N75 billion Manufacturers Fund designed to provide financial backing to the manufacturing sector.
Shettima also highlighted the impact of existing programmes in Katsina.
He noted that under the Rural Area Programme on Investment for Development (RAPID), 23 rural MSMEs had received ₦112 million to scale their operations.
He further stated that the ₦5 billion Katsina State MSME Growth Fund—a joint Federal and State initiative—had disbursed ₦576 million to 237 beneficiaries since its launch in June 2024.
Shettima commended Governor Umaru Radda for his leadership and innovation, particularly the establishment of the Katsina State Enterprise Development Agency (KASEDA).
Radda stated that enterprise development is a cornerstone of his administration, with plans to transform over 100,000 small businesses.
Following the launch, Shettima commissioned two multi-billion-naira state projects: a dual carriage road network and a state-of-the-art Agricultural Data and Control Centre for the Katsina State Sustainable Platform for Agriculture (KASPA).
He praised the state for not waiting “for solutions from Abuja” but building their own, saying platforms like KASPA can make agriculture “aspirational again.”
Earlier, Shettima attended the state’s first MSME Awards and the graduation ceremony of the Dikko Innovation Academy, urging residents to draw on Katsina’s rich heritage to key into the Renewed Hope Agenda.
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Other officials, including the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, and the Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, along with heads of agencies like SMEDAN, NEXIM Bank, NEPC, and BOI, delivered goodwill messages, affirming their commitment to addressing bottlenecks facing MSMEs.
