At 56, Katsina state governor, Dikko Radda, is a young adult with a GenZ mindset. His approach to governance is modern, exemplifying contemporary cutting-edge attitude in leadership. In barely two and a half years, he has reconfigured the governance genetics of the state from analogue to digital. And he is still pushing to widen the frontiers. His quest to turn the state into a fully formed digital ecosystem is not lost on local and international observers.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and major ICT players in and outside Nigeria have had nice things to say about Radda’s desire to create a hi-tech culture in the agrarian state including using technology to drive the state’s agro-economy.
Recently, at a two-day Business Roundtable on Investments in Broadband Connectivity and Safeguarding Critical National Information Infrastructure organised by NCC in Abuja, Radda gave an insight into how he is re-calibrating the tech-status of the state.
The programme which had as its theme: “Right of Way and Protection of Broadband Infrastructure: The Road to Success in Broadband Investment and Connectivity,” was attended by security personnel, ICT professionals, entrepreneurs and members of the public. A truly digitally aware audience. Radda, not one to pass off an opportunity, took the stage to pitch Katsina state digital market to the world.
Radda showed a good grasp of broadband and all its adjunct opportunities. He was at home with the geeks and gizmos of the modern era. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Chatgpt, Internet of Things, Augmented Reality and allied trends. He shared his passion to make Katsina an exporter of rightly skilled-up human capital; to make Katsina Nigeria’s preferred outsourcing centre. You could gauge his sky-high confidence. The type of confidence this writer has found among young Indians, Chinese, Singaporeans and other smart nationals from smart nations who play at the cusp of the global innovation marketplace.
Radda aims to achieve 70 per cent broadband penetration to connect the 34 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Katsina by 2030.This is no political slogan. Radda is working to redeem his pledge. Already, he has created a dedicated Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Directorate as a precursor to making governance in the state ride on the wings of technology. The directorate is saddled with the responsibility of superintending all ICT infrastructure in the state.
The governor is aware of the importance of digital connectivity in driving economic growth, productivity, inclusivity and national resilience. He preached the message of ownership and patriotism. He said that protecting telecom infrastructure was a shared duty between government, individuals, communities, and investors. Not just the responsibility of security agents. Radda promised to use his influence as Governor to protect such infrastructure in his state. Under his watch, Katsina state would cooperate with NCC and other stakeholders to achieve national set goals He urged increased investment in broadband infrastructure, particularly in LGAs to achieve inclusivity and to bridge urban-rural digital divide.
Modern economies are measured by quality and volume of innovation and by how much ICT-driven governance is in that economy. According to the 2024 IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking and the 2024 Network Readiness Index (NRI), the most ICT-driven nations are: Singapore, Switzerland, the United States, Denmark, Sweden, Republic of Korea, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Taiwan (Chinese Taipei). These nations are highly ranked for their adoption of ICT in both public and private administration. No African nation is among the top 20. This speaks volumes on the continent’s quest for development and their chances to leapfrog Western and Asian nations in the coming years.
These nations laid the foundation for their today’s digital economy success stories many decades back. They did not only adapt to existing technologies in those days, they also created their own home-grown technologies and ipso facto, innovated a prosperous future. That future is the prosperity their citizens enjoy today.
This is exactly what Governor Radda is doing today in Katsina: creating a culture of innovation in the state to position it as a regional technology and innovation hub. And if you think Radda is merely grandstanding, the joke is on you. Katsina is already responding to the global digital movement. And Radda is adding more fodder to the digital fire. Katsina is the proud producer of innovators whose works cut across the entire spectrum of human endeavour.
Stand up for recognition: Adnan Muhammad Mukhtar, whose product Velixify, a device management system that allows organisations to control their devices remotely is enhancing efficiency in remote monitoring and tracking of devices; Umar Faruk, founder of Sabikuk, a digital academy that provides chefs who teach culinary skills a platform to sell their courses online; Ibrahim Yakubu, creator of Smart Ops, an AI-assisted chatbot that helps businesses in sell their products on Whatsapp without human interaction and interference. It combines the seamless capacity to accept payments and process delivery.
If you are interested in ride-sharing, Ma’awiya Kabir’s Afridego, a ride-sharing platform that allows inter-city travel sharing offers you premium experience; not forgetting Abdulhakim Kurfi’s HydroIQ, a farming assisting device that allows farmers to grow crops in a small environment and reap bountifully through speedy production. Kurfi is an Artificial Intelligence Programmer and Robotics engineer whose Kirkira Innovation Hub in the Katsina city centre has become top-on-the-list incubation hub for young techies in the north and is helping to build new generation tech start-ups armed with the skills to create a brave new future. This is the digital culture that Radda is propagating in his state. While some governors are snoozing on duty and playing toxic politics, Radda has inclined himself on the plane of development.
Beyond that, Radda is actuating his determination to upskill the state workforce and citizens with his resolve to convert Katsina State Institute of Technology and Management into an Information and Communication Technology University, a model that has transformed India hi-tech space, making it the outsourcing capital of the world. Soon, very soon, Katsina will become an exporter of digital talents, all thanks to the foresightedness of Governor Radda.
