The Kano State Government on Thursday empowered 1,900 butchers across the state with work tools to boost their businesses and improve hygiene standards in meat processing and marketing.
The empowerment package included large stainless steel bowls, aprons, rain boots, axes, knives and other equipment used in meat processing and hawking.
Speaking at the distribution ceremony in Kano, Gov. Abba Kabir-Yusuf said the intervention was in fulfilment of his administration’s commitment to improve the livelihoods of ordinary citizens, particularly those in the informal sector.
He said the informal sector, which employs the majority of the state’s workforce, would no longer remain on the margins of government attention.
“Our administration is committed to ensuring that government policies and programmes directly touch the lives of ordinary citizens.
“Today’s empowerment is another demonstration of our resolve to support small businesses, improve livelihoods and strengthen the informal economy,” he said.
Yusuf described the butchering business as a critical sector that supports thousands of households, contributes to food security and supplies raw materials to leather and tannery industries.
He said the government had continued to strengthen the foundation for sustainable economic development through the Kano State Cottage Trade and Street Hawking Agency.
According to him, hundreds of thousands of traders, artisans and other operators in the informal sector have already been registered and profiled to facilitate future government interventions.
The governor also announced that provision had been made in the 2026 budget for the establishment of Cottage Industries and Enterprise Centres at strategic locations across the state.
He said the centres would provide modern workspaces, common production facilities, storage facilities, business support services, training opportunities and organised marketing channels for artisans and small-scale entrepreneurs.
Yusuf said the centres would include dedicated sections for butchers, meat processing, leather processing and tannery operations to maximise the economic value of livestock products.
He added that the initiative would create thousands of employment opportunities for youths in meat processing, leather works, hides and skins processing, packaging, transportation and other allied industries.
The governor urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the items to improve their businesses, increase their earnings and uphold high standards of hygiene and professionalism.
He also encouraged butchers and other artisans yet to register with the agency to do so to benefit from future government interventions.
Earlier, the Director-General of the Kano State Cottage Trade and Street Hawking Agency, Alhaji Abubakar Ahmed Bichi, said the empowerment reflected the government’s commitment to strengthening small-scale businesses and improving the welfare of traders.
Bichi said the agency had introduced various programmes, including capacity building and business support initiatives, to help micro and small-scale entrepreneurs expand their businesses and improve their incomes.
He disclosed that the agency was also working to enrol street hawkers into the Kano State Health Insurance Scheme to enable them access affordable healthcare services as part of efforts to provide social protection for operators in the informal sector.
Bichi commended Yusuf for his continued support to the agency, noting that the administration’s investment in small businesses was already yielding positive results in job creation and economic empowerment.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Kano State Butchers Association, Alhaji Nasiru Isyaku, described the intervention as unprecedented.
He said the empowerment package would improve the welfare of butchers and enhance professionalism in the industry.
Isyaku commended the governor for recognising the contributions of butchers to food security and public health, pledging that members of the association would continue to uphold hygienic practices and professional standards in their operations.