From Muawuya Bala Idris, Katsina
The Katsina State Government has trained over 1,200 graduates in data analysis and digital skills as part of efforts to strengthen evidence-based planning and governance in the state.
Governor Dikko Umar Radda disclosed this while commemorating the 2025 World Statistics Day, themed “Driving Change with Quality Statistics and Data for Everyone.”
He explained that the graduates were trained under the Data for Development Initiative, an intervention designed to enhance digital literacy and data-driven governance.
Radda also revealed that his administration had trained 500 statistical officers and deployed them across the 34 local government areas of the state to improve data collection and management.
“The community data mapping surveys covering more than 2,800 rural communities are now guiding the 2025–2027 Medium-Term Development Plan,” the governor said.
According to him, the state government has launched several key data-driven projects, including the Integrated Development and Statistical Framework and the Statistical Master Plan 2025–2030.
He further stated that data desks for women and youth affairs have been established to support inclusion and empowerment programmes, adding that over 10,000 households and 30,000 children have benefited from interventions informed by household vulnerability surveys.
Governor Radda noted that the theme of the 2025 Statistics Day aligns with his administration’s vision of using reliable data to drive planning, decision-making, and accountability across all sectors.
He described statistics as the “new currency of development,” stressing that Katsina State now “plans with facts, not assumptions.”
“Data now plays a vital role in improving security and humanitarian response through the State Situation Room, which tracks incidents and relief efforts in real time,” the governor said.
Radda appreciated statisticians and development partners, including the World Bank, UNICEF, UNDP, the European Union, Canada, Norway, and Gavi, for supporting Katsina State’s data revolution.