Governors of states in Nigeria’s North-west region are seeking the support of the African Development Bank to tackle some development challenges in the region.
The Zamfara State governor, Dauda Lawal, made the appeal while making a presentation on Saturday during a meeting between governors of the states in the North-west region and the President of the AfDB, Akinwunmi Adesina, in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
The governors want the AfDB to help in tackling insecurity, improve human capital development and agriculture.
Mr Lawal specifically asked the bank to incorporate his state into the Phase 2 of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) program, his spokesperson, Sulaiman Idris said in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES.
According to Mr Bala, Zamfara missed out on Phase 1 of the SAPZ programme2 in 2021, but will benefit from Phase 2 after the intervention of the governor.
“The SAPZ programme aims to end the export of raw agricultural commodities, providing an opportunity for processing locally,” he said.
The governor’s spokesperson said the North-west states would experience unprecedented growth and development in agriculture, and therefore will contribute significantly to Nigeria’s economic transformation.
He said the meeting has opened doors of opportunity for the sub region as the AfDB has expressed interest in supporting the states.
“The meeting between the North-west governors and Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank, has opened doors of opportunity for the seven states in the region. The governors of Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kano, and Kaduna informed the president of the AfDB about the significant areas in the region that require attention.
“The governors approached the African Development Bank for assistance in tackling crucial challenges in their respective states, such as security, human capital development, and agriculture. These crucial aspects are interconnected and significantly impact the overall well-being and prosperity of the people,” the governor’s spokesperson said.
Mr Idris added that the support will go beyond attracting investments, but will also create a conducive environment for businesses to thrive.
“Through collaboration and with the guidance and support of the African Development Bank, North-west governors will be empowered to create a safer and more conducive environment for their citizens. This will not only attract investments but also foster sustainable economic growth,” the statement noted.
The region has been battling terrorists’ activities for over a decade. The terrorists, referred to as bandits, have made life difficult for the people of the region.
The activities of the terrorists have led to the death of hundreds of thousands of people while millions have been displaced. Schools, religious places, highways have all been attacked in several instances by the terrorists who sometimes abduct people and demand huge ransom before they are released.
Aside from the raging insecurity, the sub-region was ranked the poorest in the recent multidimensional poverty index released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) with 45.5 million poor residents.
Cotton industries, textile factories and other manufacturing firms in Kaduna, Zamfara and Katsina states have since become moribund while industries in Kano State are gasping for life.