There is a painful contradiction at the heart of Kano State. A city celebrated for commerce, industry, and wealth has thousands of young people with business ideas but without the capital to begin. Every day, graduates, artisans and innovators are searching for grants, startup support or soft loans that rarely arrive. Many eventually abandon their dreams, not because they lack talent, but because opportunity itself has become expensive.
For decades, Kano has proudly carried the reputation of Northern Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre. From the ancient textile markets of Kantin Kwari to the bustling trade routes linking West Africa, Kano built its identity around enterprise. Today, the state still boasts one of the largest economies in Nigeria. Official records indicate that Kano’s GDP grew from ₦10.7 trillion in 2019 to ₦16.8 trillion in 2023, driven largely by commerce and services.
Yet beneath these impressive figures lies a troubling reality: wealth is not translating into accessible business opportunities for ordinary young people.
Kano is home to some of Africa’s richest businessmen and many of Nigeria’s biggest industrial families. Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, traces his roots to Kano. Abdul Samad Rabiu, founder of BUA Group and one of Africa’s wealthiest individuals, is also from Kano. The state equally hosts generations of successful traders, manufacturers and merchants whose businesses dominate sectors from agriculture to construction.
But the average young entrepreneur in Kano cannot access even a ₦500,000 startup grant.
That is the paradox.
Across the state, small business owners complain of the same problem: no collateral, no connections, no support structure. Banks demand guarantees many youths cannot provide. Government empowerment programmes are often too limited, politicised, or poorly coordinated. Private sector interventions exist, but they reach only a fraction of those in need.
Ironically, Kano already possesses the ingredients required for a thriving entrepreneurial revolution. Government documents estimate that the state has over 1.8 million micro-enterprises employing more than two million people. The informal economy alone contributes between 60 and 70 percent of employment and economic output.
Read Also:WOFAN inaugurates marketing hub in Kano community, empowers 450 PWDs with start-up kits
This means Kano’s economy is already powered largely by small businesses.
Imagine what would happen if these businesses received structured grants, low-interest financing and mentorship at scale.
In many parts of Southern Nigeria, young entrepreneurs enjoy stronger access to startup ecosystems. In Lagos, technology hubs, angel investors and innovation funds have become part of the business environment. In the South-East, apprenticeship systems combined with cooperative financing have helped many young traders establish themselves after years of mentorship. States like Ogun State, Oyo State and Anambra State have also benefited from federal and international MSME interventions targeted at manufacturing and innovation clusters.
Kano, despite its commercial history, still struggles to institutionalise similar large-scale support for youth entrepreneurs.
This is not to say nothing is being done. There have been interventions from organisations and development partners. Programmes supported by the European Union and GIZ provided about ₦200 million in financing support to MSMEs in Kano, particularly in the leather and garment value chains. Federal initiatives such as MarketMoni also reached thousands of small traders with loans between ₦10,000 and ₦100,000. Groups like Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) have supported young entrepreneurs with skills and mini-grants.
But these efforts remain far below the scale of the problem.
A city with millions of youths cannot depend on scattered interventions and ceremonial empowerment programmes. Kano needs a coordinated economic vision that treats youth entrepreneurship as a strategic priority, not a political slogan.
The consequences of ignoring this challenge are already visible. Unemployment and underemployment continue to fuel frustration among young people across Nigeria. Researchers have repeatedly warned that weak implementation of youth-employment policies, inadequate funding and limited access to opportunities are major obstacles to economic stability.
Read Also:Investigate alleged N26.9bn USPF scandal, SERAP urges Tinubu
A society where talented youths remain idle while wealth circulates only among established elites creates dangerous economic inequality. The gap between the rich and the struggling poor widens. Hope diminishes. Migration increases. Crime and social instability become harder to contain.
Kano must not allow itself to become a city where commerce flourishes only for a privileged few.
The private sector also has responsibilities. Wealthy industrialists and business moguls from Kano should see startup financing not merely as charity, but as an investment in the future of the state. Around the world, successful entrepreneurs build venture funds, innovation hubs and business incubators to support younger generations. Kano’s business elite can do the same.
Imagine if even a small percentage of the fortunes controlled by Kano’s billionaires were invested yearly into transparent youth business grants, technology hubs, agricultural startups and manufacturing cooperatives. Thousands of jobs could emerge within a short period.
Read Also:Sokoto neglects Primary Healthcare, disburses just 5% of capital budget in 2025
The government, financial institutions and private investors must work together to create accessible financing systems for small businesses. Not every entrepreneur needs millions. Sometimes, a tailoring shop requires only industrial sewing machines. A young software developer may need laptops and internet access. A poultry farmer may only require feed support and startup capital. Small interventions, when properly managed, can transform lives.
Kano has never lacked businessmen. What it lacks is a system that allows ordinary young people to become businessmen too.
