Gombe gov urges states to attract investment

Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has advised fellow governors to start creating real conditions for investments in their various states. He spoke through his Commissioner for Finance, Muhammad Gambo Magaji, as the Forum of State Investment Promotion Agencies of Nigeria (FoSIPAN) began a two-day workshop in Abuja. Yahaya said the days of waiting […]

Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has advised fellow governors to start creating real conditions for investments in their various states.

He spoke through his Commissioner for Finance, Muhammad Gambo Magaji, as the Forum of State Investment Promotion Agencies of Nigeria (FoSIPAN) began a two-day workshop in Abuja.

Yahaya said the days of waiting for federal allocation are over, stressing that serious states must build structures that attract capital instead of chasing it.

“This workshop is timely. As states, we must fix our environment and get serious about private investment,” Magaji said, while opening the event.

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The training, themed “Advancing State-Level Investment Readiness,” is supported by the Gombe State Government and the Centre for International Trade Development (CITD), Miami.

Representing Governor Yahaya as chairman of the NGF’s SABER programme, Magaji said states must take responsibility for creating the right conditions for investors.

 

“You’re the bridge between policy and money. If you fumble, nothing happens,” he told participants, urging them to use the platform to sharpen their pitch and prepare real, fundable projects.

 

He also told states to position themselves for the 2025 Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF), calling it a major window to show the world what they have.

 

FoSIPAN Chairman, Terhemen Johnpaul Kpenkaan, said the workshop is part of a bigger move to take Nigeria from talk to traction.

 

“Every investment, foreign or local, lands in a state. That’s why we’re here,” he said.

 

FoSIPAN links all 36 states and the FCT in a network where they share ideas, strategies and tools.

 

Kpenkaan said the message is simple: Nigeria’s $3 trillion infrastructure gap, nearly 40 percent of GDP won’t go anywhere unless states get serious.

 

“These aren’t just figures. They’re the reason farmers can’t move goods and kids still trek miles for water,” he said.

 

He praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for placing investment at the heart of his Renewed Hope Agenda, and hailed Yahaya for walking the talk through SABER, a reform initiative helping states set up functional investment agencies.

 

NIPC Executive Secretary, Aisha Rimi, said the old lines between local and foreign investors no longer matter.

 

“If we take care of our own, they’ll sell us to the world,” she said. “They’re our real ambassadors, or our warning signs.”