The World Bank has commended Katsina State for emerging as a model for the proper coordination of development partners and for institutionalizing community-driven development across key sectors, including education, agriculture, livelihoods, and social development.
The commendation was delivered when a high-level World Bank delegation, led by the Country Director for Nigeria, Mathew Verghis, paid a courtesy visit to Governor Dikko Umaru Radda at the Government House in Katsina. The visit formed part of a comprehensive portfolio review of World Bank-supported programmes in the state, covering Investment Project Financing and Programme-for-Results operations to evaluate implementation progress, financial performance, and strategies to accelerate development outcomes.
Welcoming the delegation, Governor Radda thanked the World Bank for its sustained partnership with Katsina State. He assured the team that his administration will continue to eliminate implementation bottlenecks and ensure that development financing translates into measurable, sustainable results for citizens. Governor Radda emphasized that his government deliberately adopted a community-driven development model to empower local communities to identify their priorities, participate actively in project implementation, and take full ownership. This framework drove the creation of the Community Development Programme and the strengthening of ward-level participatory budgeting, giving residents a direct voice in the budgeting process.
The World Bank delegation praised the Katsina State Development Management Board for serving as an overarching coordination mechanism that successfully aligns development partners, reduces duplication, and ensures strict compliance with government priorities and financing commitments. The team specifically highlighted the Community Development Programme, describing it as a vital framework ensuring government interventions respond directly to actual community needs while fostering sustainability. They also lauded participatory budgeting as a crucial shift toward bottom-up planning, establishing Katsina as a leading example of the World Bank’s development philosophy in action.
The delegation included the Task Team Leader and Co-Task Team Leader for the Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up, the National Project Coordinator of the Nigeria for Women Project, and the Head of Country Management and Development of the World Bank.
