Katsina Woos Investors with Business Enabling Reforms

Francis Sardauna in Katsina 

The Katsina State Government has said its business-enabling reforms are designed to attract foreign and local investors, stimulate economic growth and enhance sustainable private-sector investment. 

The state Deputy Governor, Faruk Lawal, disclosed this at a nationwide subnational engagement and technical reform workshop 2026, organised by the state government in collaboration with the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).

He said the state government had implemented comprehensive reforms designed to improve the ease of doing business across critical investment sectors statewide and urged investors to explore the state’s expanding economic opportunities.

He explained that the reforms covered investment facilitation, automation of land administration processes, digitalisation of land records and the implementation of the framework for Responsible and Inclusive Land-intensive Agricultural Investment (RILA).

He added that the Katsina State Internal Revenue Service has modernised tax administration through digital platforms, simplified tax procedures, and enhanced taxpayer engagement, making compliance easier while strengthening public confidence.

Lawal said: “Across other sectors, we have continued to improve our transparent services, strengthening investment promotion, deepening public-private partnerships, facilitated interstate trade, reformed the water and electricity sectors, and improved public financial management.

“These reforms are all guided by one objective, to create an environment where businesses can grow with confidence and where investors see Katsina State as a preferred destination for investment. These achievements are the result of coordinated reforms across multiple sectors of government.”

Earlier, the Director-General, Katsina State Investment Promotion Agency (KIPA), Ibrahim Tukur Jikamshi, said the workshop demonstrated the state government’s commitment to creating a business environment that supports investment, enterprise and economic growth.

He stressed that the workshop provides an opportunity for the government and the private sector to exchange ideas, identify challenges and work collectively towards practical solutions that will further strengthen the business environment in the state.

He said: “It is a forum where businesses can speak freely about their experience, where the government can listen attentively and where together we can identify, clarify and simplify practical solutions that will further improve the investment climate in our state. 

“While we have made considerable progress in recent years, we recognise that a reform is a continuous journey. There will always be room to improve our systems, simplify our procedures and strengthen the quality of public service.”

In her remarks, the Director-General of PEBEC, Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu, said states “must make deliberate choices, identify the sectors where they can compete effectively, invest strategically in this sector, remove barriers to growth, and communicate those opportunities consistently to the world.”

She added that states should embark on coordinated communication strategies that highlight reforms, investment opportunities, success stories, infrastructure projects, sector strengths and business-friendly policies.

The director-general, who delivered her speech virtually, said: “States must move from reactive communication to strategic communication. They must actively shape their narratives rather than allow others to define them.”