The World Bank has expressed interest in considering Katsina State’s Community Development Programme (CDP) as a model that could potentially be replicated in other states across Nigeria, Governor Dikko Umaru Radda has disclosed.
Radda made the disclosure while speaking at the inauguration of the Dikko Mai da Alkhairi da Alkhairi movement at the Local Government Service Commission in Katsina.
According to the governor, the development followed a recent engagement with a World Bank delegation, which he said was impressed by the effectiveness and grassroots reach of the state’s Community Development Programme.
The governor said the programme’s community-based approach had helped channel government interventions directly to local communities, with residents playing a role in identifying and implementing development priorities.
Radda described the reported interest from the World Bank as recognition of the programme’s grassroots impact and an indication that locally driven development models could offer useful lessons for other parts of the country.
The Katsina governor has repeatedly positioned the CDP as a central component of his administration’s strategy for taking development beyond major urban centres and into rural communities.
The programme has reportedly reached more than two million people across the state, while the state government has also approved billions of naira for subsequent phases of community development projects.
Radda said the administration’s achievements should be judged by their impact on ordinary residents rather than by political claims or government announcements.
“Today, I do not want to say too much because what our administration has done within the last three years is already speaking for itself,” he said.
The governor’s comments came as supporters gathered to launch the movement established in appreciation of programmes they said had affected communities across the state.
The reported World Bank interest, however, remains at the stage of consideration and possible adoption rather than a confirmed nationwide rollout.
If eventually adopted elsewhere, the Katsina model could provide a framework for strengthening community participation in government development programmes, particularly in areas where conventional top-down approaches have struggled to reach vulnerable populations effectively.
For Katsina, the development also gives the administration an opportunity to showcase its grassroots intervention strategy beyond the state, as Radda continues to seek support for his broader development agenda ahead of the 2027 political cycle.