Katsina State Governor Dikko Umaru Radda has called for greater private-sector investment in public development projects, urging investors to partner with governments to turn available capital into infrastructure, jobs, and economic opportunities.
Governor Radda made the call on Tuesday at the inaugural Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS) Global Action Forum, held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The forum, convened by Sterling One Foundation in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), RALLY Africa, and other partners, focused on mobilizing capital and partnerships to accelerate development across Africa.
Speaking on Katsina’s experience, Governor Radda said the state had secured significant development financing but needed more private capital to complement public and development funding.
He said Katsina had benefited from 11 World Bank projects worth about $430 million across education, water, rural roads, agriculture, and environmental development. He also cited $30 million in African Development Bank financing for the state’s Agro-Industrial Processing Zone and $60 million from the Islamic Development Bank for the first phase of its Integrated Agricultural Development Hubs.
According to the governor, investors are often discouraged by revenue uncertainty, currency risks, weak off-take arrangements, inadequate project preparation, and concerns about the continuity of government contracts.
He called for stronger public-private partnership frameworks, de-risking mechanisms, disciplined counterpart funding, and transparent monitoring of development projects.
Governor Radda also urged investors to engage governments early in the design of projects so that potential risks can be addressed before investments are made.
“Come in early. Engage us at design stage, and the de-risking you need is built into the project rather than retrofitted onto it,” he said.
The governor said Katsina was open to investment opportunities in agricultural aggregation, storage, processing, logistics, mechanization, off-take, and working capital.
He assured investors that the state would continue to promote policy stability, respect for contracts, transparent procurement, and the protection of people and assets.
Governor Radda challenged participants at the New York forum to move beyond discussions and translate commitments into actual investments and development outcomes.
