A delegation of six governors from the Northwest geopolitical zone of Nigeria sought the support and cooperation of the African Development Bank (AfDB) towards making the zone an industrial agriculture hub by unlocking the huge agricultural potential of the various states in the region.
The governors, including Lawal Dauda of Zamfara, Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto, Umar Namadi of Jigawa, Uba Sani of Kaduna, Dikko Radda of Katsina, and Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, had already arrived in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where they held a high-level engagement with Akinwunmi Adesina, president of the AfDB, in a bid to actualize their target objectives.
Adesina emphasized that the bank remains resolute and committed to supporting the Nigerian government in fostering sustainable growth and addressing the challenges faced by the Northwest region through mitigation of the impacts of the high food and energy prices prevailing in the country.
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“By providing the Northwest—whose development is critical for Nigeria—with affordable renewable energy that will power our planned special agro-industrial processing zones, we would have gone a long way in taming inflation in Nigeria.”
“The African Development Bank Group remains resolute and committed to supporting the Nigerian government to mitigate the impacts of the high food and energy prices prevailing in the country,” Adesina said.
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Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina disclosed that the Northwest governors decided to adopt a coordinated approach with the bank to implement agriculture and power projects that will drive the zone’s development and improve livelihoods.
On his part, Governor Nasiru Idris of Kebbi State highlighted the critical role of agriculture in the zone’s economy, stressing the need for strategic partnerships and commitment to initiatives like the Desert-to-Power program.
