By Abdullahi Shugaba, in Katsina
The Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, has made a historic appearance at ChangeNOW 2026 as the first Nigerian Distinguished leader to deliver keynote address at the global renowned platform for climate innovation and sustainable development.
Malam Ibrahin Kaula Mohammed, Chief press Secretary (CPS), to Governor Radda made this known in a statement issued to Citizenship Daily in Katsina stating that his boss spoke while addressing distinguished audience at the Grand Palais in Paris.
Radda called for a decisive shift in global climate discourse from pledges to performance, stressong that the true measure of progress lies in tangible, measurable outcomes.
He drew from Katsina State’s experience where he presented a compelling case on how subnational governments can translate policy ambition into real-world impact.
The Governor lamented the urgency to address climate realities in Northern Nigeria, where desertification, water scarcity, and declining agricultural productivity are negatively affecting economic and social conditions of the people.
He noted that these challenges have driven the State to adopt a proactive and systems-driven approach, placing renewable energy and climate resilience at the core of its development strategy.
Central to his address, was Katsina State’s growing portfolio of renewable energy and climate interventions.
Radda underscored the large-scale deployment of solar-powered irrigation systems, which are transforming agricultural productivity towards improving food security, and reducing dependence on fossil fuel-powered alternatives.
He also highlighted ongoing efforts to expand decentralized clean energy access across rural and under-served communities, ensuring that energy transition directly improves livelihoods.
In the area of sustainable mobility, the Governor said the State begun the integration of electric tricycles and hybrid buses, signaling a forward-looking transition toward cleaner urban transport systems.
He said that Complementing these initiatives are clean cooking solutions aimed at reducing reliance on firewood, improving public health outcomes, and mitigating environmental degradation.
The Governor noted these coordinated interventions have significantly enhanced investor confidence, attracting over $50 million in green investments into the State.
He further pointed to Katsina’s rapid rise from 25th to 2nd position nationally in climate governance rankings as evidence of strengthened institutions, policy coherence, and disciplined execution.
He reaffirmed the State’s long-term vision, outlined ambitious 2030 targets, including achieving 50 percent renewable energy adoption in urban centres, expanding clean energy access to 70 percent of the population, increasing forest cover by 25 percent, and lifting 500,000 people out of poverty through climate-aligned economic growth.
“The defining factor in climate action going forward will not be the scale of ambition, but the strength of systems and the consistency with which results are delivered,” the Governor’s added.
He said as part of the high-level engagements Android discussions in Paris, the governor was accompanied by the First Lady of Katsina State, Hajiya Zulaihat Dikko Radda, and his Special Adviser on Power and Energy, Dr Hafiz Ibrahim Ahmed. who played played technical and strategic roles at the summit.
Highlight of the visit include successfully signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Katsina State Government and LDN Advisory.
The CPS explained that Governor Radda’s participation at ChangeNOW 2026 was aimed to consolidate on earlier engagements with Santiago Lefebvre, on November 2025 which laid foundation for expanding collaboration between Katsina State and global climate stakeholders.
“That summit attracted over 40,000 participants from more than 140 countries, including leading investors, policy’s makers, innovators, and development partners” he said.
Governor Radda noted that Katsina State’s participstion at ChangeNOW 2026 underscores its emergence as a leading subnational actor in renewable energy deployment and climate change management”, the CPS said.
According to him, the Governor said that the importance of a well integrated and executed strategies in environmental management for economic growth in a society cannot be overemphasized.
