…40 prospective investors attend Kano investment roundtable
By Abdullahi Alhassan
Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has intensified efforts to attract private-sector investment into the state, assuring prospective investors that Borno has overcome significant security challenges and is now safe, stable and ready for business.
The governor urged local and international investors to explore the state’s vast economic opportunities in agriculture, livestock production, fisheries, housing, solid minerals and infrastructure development.
Zulum gave the assurance on Monday at the second private-sector engagement and investment roundtable held at Tahir Guests Place, Kano, where approximately 40 prospective investors from various sectors converged to explore business opportunities in the state.
The engagement, themed *”Mobilising Private Capital for Durable Solutions and Sustainable Development,”* was organised with support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the European Union and the German Government.
It followed a similar investment roundtable held in Lagos three weeks earlier, where Borno State secured nine investment commitments.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Dr Babagana Mustapha Mallumbe, the governor said his administration was determined to transition the state from humanitarian dependence to sustainable economic recovery through private-sector participation.
He noted that attracting private capital was critical to expanding economic opportunities, generating employment and helping households rebuild their livelihoods after years of insecurity.
“Presently, Borno is safe, stable and open for business. Borno sits at the nexus of the Lake Chad Basin, serving as a natural trade corridor linking Nigeria to Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic,” he said.
Zulum attributed the improved security situation to the sacrifices and sustained efforts of the Nigerian Armed Forces, other security agencies and volunteer security groups.
He further highlighted Borno’s strategic geographical position as a major commercial advantage, noting that its proximity to neighbouring countries provides investors with access to an underserved regional market with considerable demand for goods and services.
The governor identified the state’s expansive arable land, enormous livestock resources and solid mineral deposits as key investment opportunities capable of driving economic diversification and sustainable growth.
According to him, while government has the responsibility of creating an enabling environment, the private sector remains indispensable to wealth creation, employment generation and long-term prosperity.
“Government creates the enabling environment, but the private sector creates wealth, jobs and lasting prosperity,” he stated.
On human capital development, Zulum disclosed that his administration was implementing strategic investments in skills acquisition and workforce development as part of Borno’s 25-year development plan.
He revealed that vocational training centres established by the state had graduated more than 3,000 beneficiaries, while similar capacity-building initiatives were being pursued in the health sector to strengthen service delivery and improve the availability of skilled manpower.
The governor also assured investors of his administration’s commitment to honouring agreements, promoting transparency and facilitating mutually beneficial public-private partnerships, particularly in housing, agriculture and other productive sectors.
Emphasising that the state was seeking genuine business partnerships rather than financial assistance, Zulum said the investment opportunities being presented were commercially viable and capable of delivering attractive returns.
“We are not here to ask for charity. We are here to present bankable, high-yield and direct investment opportunities for you. Borno is ready. Borno is bankable. We invite you to partner with a government that honours its word,” he declared.
He further outlined incentives designed to make the state attractive to investors, including simplified land acquisition processes, infrastructure support, the development of industrial clusters and a supportive tax framework.
Also speaking, the Chief Adviser to the Governor on Sustainable Development, Partnerships and Humanitarian Response, Dr Mairo Mandara, described Borno as a strategic gateway to a regional economic market comprising more than 50 million people.
Mandara said the state had made significant progress in moving beyond the emergency phase of its humanitarian crisis, stressing that the next priority was to transform the gains of recovery into a productive and sustainable economy.
“Borno has moved from emergency to recovery. The task now is to convert recovery into an economy,” she said.
As part of the engagement, prospective investors were expected to receive detailed presentations on the state’s industrial park, inland dry port and bonded terminal, as well as its ease-of-doing-business framework and other investment facilitation initiatives.
The roundtable was attended by the Chairman, House Committee on Trade, Tourism and Investment, Hon. Baba Shehu Gulumba; and Chairman, House Committee on Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Resettlement, Hon. Baba Mala Sunoma.
Other dignitaries included the Commissioners for Information and Internal Security, Prof. Usman Tar; Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement, Arc. Isa Garba Halidu; Works and Housing, Engr. Adam Bukar Bababe; Local Government and Emirate Affairs, Hon. Sugun Mai Mele; and Planning and Economic Development, Hon. Maina Yaumi.
Special Advisers, Permanent Secretaries, heads of government agencies and other senior government officials were also in attendance.
