Mark these dates, 6 & 7th of April, the Government of Kaduna State under the leadership of Mallam Nasir Elrufai will hold an Investment Summit hoping to turn around the fortunes of our underdeveloped state, Kaduna.
The summit is organized by the recently established Kaduna State Investment Promotion Agency – KADIPA. The mandate of KADIPA is to lead and coordinate all investment promotion activities undertaken by the State and to be the prime negotiator in finalizing deals with private sector investors on behalf of the State.
Kaduna state was a lead state in Northern Nigeria with most of the industries now either half dead or completely dead. We had the Tomato Industry in Ikara, the cotton and groundnut Industry in Gubuchi, the Zaria Pharmaceuticals and Zarinject in Zaria, the Sugar Refining Industry in Makarfi, all like whiskers, gone.
Mallam Nasir Elrufai once in 2012, while analyzing the state budget, mentioned an array of mineral resources abound in Kaduna state, which include, Kyanite, Kaolin, Columbite, Gold, Quartz, Mica, Clay, Asbestos, and Graphite. It has ample arable land which traverses the Sahel Savannah region among its agricultural endowments. The state produces huge quantities of Yam, Cotton, Groundnut, Tobacco, Maize, Beans, Guinea corn, Millet, Ginger, Rice and Cassava. The State has numerous tourist attractions like the Nok Culture, Kajuru raw-castle, Arewa House and Museums. We are hopeful that the New Sheriff knows where exactly the shoe pinches.
It is therefore, our expectations that the state government would leverage on this Investment Summit to revive the almost non-existing industries, create jobs for its teeming population. And by all intents, the government is eager to bring together, through this summit, the private sector, international development partners and development finance institutions to identify opportunities in the state and take the investment initiatives that create growth.
This is plausible.
Investors have great influence over the social, environmental and economic challenges of societies, and to date, these players are operating in a fragmented market and in need of guidance on how to engage fully. It is in this regard, that I compliment Mallam Elrufai on this great feat – to provide guidance to these investors – and invariably, provide jobs, forge ties with local and international communities and become a force to reckon when it comes to investment decisions.
Together, we shall make Kaduna Great again.
Abdullahi Kasimu Abubakar is on twitter as @abubakar47i
