The Katsina State Government on Monday said it has concluded arrangements to hold it’s economic and investment summit aimed at diversifying the state’s economy and opening it up for business and investment.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, the Chairman, Organizing Committee for Katsina State Economic & Investment Summit, Ibrahim Tukur Jikamshi, said the theme of the summit scheduled to hold from May 9 to 11, next month in Katsina, is “Unlocking Investment Potentials for Sustainable Development.”
He said the summit will attract investors and industry leaders within and outside the country. He stated that the summit was the result of the policy thrust of the present administration of Governor Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State to ensure that the state is opened up for private business and expose the potentials that abound in the state.
Jikamshi said the Committee, inaugurated in November last year, undertook a needs assessment especially from the private sector. He said based on the need assessment, private sector operators had indicated interest in about 140 projects across the state.
“The Committee had sat down with local entrepreneurs. Some of them are looking for technical partners worldwide; some are looking for finance; some are interested in capacity building; while some are interested in partnerships,” he said, adding that priority areas where the state had comparative advantage had been developed.
The Chairman listed some of the areas to include agri-business and its entire value chain; solid minerals, power, property development and hospitality, among others. He said the summit would be showcasing the bountiful investment opportunities in these areas where the state has comparative advantage.
He said, for instance, that in the agric sector, Katsina State is
number one in cotton production in Nigeria. “We want to leverage on
this to position the state as the leading cotton production and
processing hub in West Africa,” Jikamshi said.
The Chairman also noted that Katsina State is the number two producer
of Sugar Cane in the country, and the state is also hoping to ride on
the summit’s platform to position itself as the leading exporter of
refined sugar in the ECOWAS sub region.
Besides, Katsina State, he said, is second biggest producer of Sorghum
in the country, and that the state is trying to leverage on this
advantage to attract investment from the world leading producer of the
commodity, which is America to develop the commodity across the value
chain.
Jikamshi further pointed out that in ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in the
country, Katsina State is currently rated better than Lagos, Kano,
even far ahead of Rivers State. Besides, the state is land-linked with
the neighboring Niger Republic. “Once you are linked to Niger
Republic, you are linked as far as to the whole of the Sahel region of
the world,” he stated.
Similarly, the Chairman said the state enjoys relative peace and
tranquility, which makes it investment destination of choice. He
therefore, expressed optimism that the summit will provide a robust
platform to showcase the numerous investment opportunities in the
state especially the solid minerals sector where state boasts the
highest deposit of kaolin and the best silica in the country.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Mustapha Mohammed,
pledged the State Government’s determination to partner investors to
diversify the state’s economy. Describing Nigeria’s heavy reliance on
crude oil as “dangerous,” he said it has become imperative for the
country and of course, the state to look inwards and diversify.