Governor Yusuf Digital Vision Advances as KASITDA Secures $50,000 Support for Kano Startups

Kano State has achieved a major breakthrough in its digital transformation agenda, with the Kano State Information Technology Development Agency (KASITDA) securing $50,000 worth of cloud credits to support top-performing startups at the HEAT Hackathon 2025.

In a statement issued by the Governor’s Spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, the event took place on October 11, 2025, at the E-Health Africa Auditorium in Kano. The pioneering hackathon—the first of its kind in the state—was organized under the Digital Transformation Agenda of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to building an inclusive, innovation-driven economy that empowers youth and promotes technological advancement.

The event featured 36 innovation teams and more than 150 participants, who presented tech-based solutions to address key development challenges in the Health, Education, Agriculture, and Transportation (HEAT) sectors. Representing the Governor at the event, Dr. Bashir Abdu Muzakkari, Director-General of KASITDA, said the initiative exemplifies the Governor’s vision to make Kano a leading hub for digital innovation and entrepreneurship in Northern Nigeria.

“This Hackathon is not an end, but a beginning,” Dr. Muzakkari noted. “Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is resolute in his mission to make Kano a center of technological excellence, where young innovators can turn their creativity into solutions that drive progress.

KASITDA will remain steadfast in supporting them to scale their ideas and create meaningful impact.” The $50,000 cloud credit package, facilitated through a partnership with CloudPlexo, an Amazon AWS partner, will enable ten winning startups to access premium cloud infrastructure to design, test, and scale their digital products.

Additional support for the winners came from All for Tech, which provided premium VPN services to ensure secure development, and Enovate Lab, which offered post-hackathon mentorship, business development training, and investment readiness support to help startups transition from prototypes to market-ready ventures.

Governor Yusuf lauded the outcomes of the HEAT Hackathon 2025, describing it as a testament to his administration’s ongoing investment in innovation and youth empowerment.

He reiterated his government’s commitment to expanding ICT infrastructure and positioning Kano as Northern Nigeria’s emerging digital innovation hub.

“Technology is the foundation of our development strategy,” Governor Yusuf said.

“The progress recorded by KASITDA underscores our belief that innovation is the driving force behind Kano’s future growth and prosperity.”