Katsina Unveils Five Development Plans, Household Survey
From Mu’awiyya Bala Idris Katsina
The Katsina State Government has launched five strategic development and policy documents, alongside the General Household Survey (GHS) Report and the State Statistical Yearbook, to strengthen evidence-based governance, accelerate inclusive development, and improve the welfare of citizens across the state.
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The documents unveiled include the Katsina State Development Plan, State Social Protection Policy, Multi-Sectoral Strategic Plan of Action for Food and Nutrition, State Nutrition Policy, General Household Survey (GHS) Report, and the State Statistical Yearbook.
Speaking at the launch, Governor Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, represented by the Deputy Governor, Malam Faruk Lawal Jobe, described the initiative as a major milestone in the state’s drive to use credible data to guide policymaking, planning, budgeting, and resource allocation.
Governor Radda said the General Household Survey, conducted across all 34 Local Government Areas, provides comprehensive data on poverty, household welfare, employment, agriculture, education, healthcare, housing, water and sanitation, social protection, and access to basic services.
«“Government will no longer rely solely on assumptions. Development interventions will increasingly be targeted using credible data, resources will be allocated where they are needed most, and performance will be measured objectively,” the Governor said.»
He explained that the Katsina State Development Plan serves as the administration’s long-term blueprint for economic transformation and improved quality of life, with priorities including agriculture, education, healthcare, infrastructure, industrialisation, environmental sustainability, digital innovation, security, youth empowerment, and good governance.
According to the Governor, the development plan aligns with the administration’s Building Your Future (BYF) agenda, the Katsina State Economic Development Strategy, national development priorities, the African Union Agenda 2063, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Governor Radda highlighted his administration’s achievements in healthcare and education, including the renovation and upgrading of health facilities, procurement of medical equipment, recruitment of qualified health professionals, construction of Smart Schools, rehabilitation of existing schools, and employment of thousands of teachers.
On security, he noted that improved collaboration among the state government, security agencies, traditional institutions, and local communities has restored relative peace across many parts of the state, allowing farmers to return to their farms and economic activities to resume.
While acknowledging that security challenges persist in a few local government areas, he reaffirmed the government’s commitment to working with stakeholders to eliminate remaining threats and ensure the safety of citizens.
The Governor said the State Social Protection Policy provides a comprehensive framework for supporting poor and vulnerable groups, including women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities, and internally displaced persons.
He disclosed that the state’s hybrid social protection model combines traditional Islamic welfare systems such as Zakat and Waqf with modern, data-driven interventions.
According to him, more than 50,555 beneficiaries have received support through the state’s Zakat programme, with over ₦1.9 billion mobilised to improve livelihoods and promote social inclusion.
Governor Radda also described malnutrition as a critical challenge to human capital development, revealing that the state has invested more than ₦1.7 billion in nutrition interventions and provided a ₦500 million counterpart fund to attract additional support from development partners.
He said the Nutrition Policy and Multi-Sectoral Strategic Plan would strengthen collaboration across health, agriculture, education, water and sanitation, food systems, and social protection to improve maternal and child nutrition.
The Governor pledged continued support for the Katsina State Bureau of Statistics to enhance the production of reliable and internationally comparable statistics for policymaking and development planning.
He directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and Local Government Councils to align their budgets and programmes with the newly launched policy frameworks while encouraging development partners, the private sector, academia, and civil society organisations to utilise the survey findings in driving sustainable development.
Governor Radda expressed appreciation to UNICEF, United Nations agencies, development partners, donor organisations, federal institutions, researchers, and other stakeholders for supporting the state’s planning and statistical reforms.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Malam Malik Anas, said the General Household Survey would significantly strengthen evidence-based planning, budgeting, and public service delivery across Katsina State.
He urged MDAs, Local Governments, development partners, and other stakeholders to align their programmes with the new policy frameworks, stressing the need to move “from data to policy, policy to implementation, and implementation to measurable results.”
Also speaking, the Statistician-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Katsina State Bureau of Statistics, Prof. Saifullahi Sani Ibrahim, said the survey revealed encouraging improvements in household welfare, education, healthcare, livelihoods, social protection, water and sanitation, while identifying areas requiring sustained government intervention.
He noted that the availability of disaggregated data across the state’s 34 Local Government Areas would enable better targeting of public investments and provide a reliable baseline for measuring future development outcomes.
Representing the Chief of the UNICEF Kano Field Office, Dr. Karanveer Singh commended the Katsina State Government for promoting evidence-based planning, accountability, and inclusive development through the General Household Survey, which provides valuable insights into the living conditions and priorities of households across the state.
