Governor Dikko Umaru Radda of Katsina State has decried the non-accessibility of Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMES) loans earmarked by the state government for the teeming unemployed youths in the state.

Radda said his government has recognized the importance of finance to business survival and provided MSMES low-interest loans with flexible repayment terms but the youths were not ready to utilize the opportunity.

At an event to commemorate the 2025 MSMES International Day in Katsina, Radda lamented that the youths were not forthcoming to access the MSMES loans despite adequate resources earmarked by his administration for the development of their businesses.

With the theme: ‘Enhancing the Role of MSMES as Drivers of Sustainable Growth and Innovation, the event was organised by the Katsina State Enterprises Development Agency (KASEDA) with support from development partners.

“We have a lot of money to give you (youths) to develop your businesses but you are not forthcoming in accessing those resources”, Governor Radda said at the event held at the Mohammadu Dikko’s Stadium Katsina Thursday.

He called on financial institutions entrusted with the funds to ensure timely disbursement of the resources to the entrepreneurs “because we didn’t give the money just for keeping but for the utilization of our MSMES in the state.”

He reiterated the state government was working with local cooperatives and financial institutions to ensure the earmarked funds reach “genuine entrepreneurs not political beneficiaries”.

Radda said his administration has strengthened the KASEDA and the development of ecosystems that support the birth, survival and the growth of entrepreneurs in the state to empower youths for economic diversification and development.

He said the state government targeted rural and semi-urban communities through its state-wide entrepreneurship outreach programme which had trained thousands of youths and women to make them self-reliant and employers of labour.

In her remarks, the Director-General of KASEDA, Hajiya Aisha Aminu Abdullahi said the agency has empowered over 8,000 MSMES through access to finances, business advisory and enterprises development programmes.

Represented by the Technical Assistant to Governor Radda on Enterprises Development, Dr. Babangida Kabir Rumah, Abdullahi added the agency also supported victims of banditry with N542 million.