Katsina leaps into abundance

The quest for fiscal federalism and sustainable economic development takes a berth in Katsina State this week as policy makers, investors and managers of the economy begin a three-day summit aimed at re-positioning the state to meet emerging challenges. The Katsina State Economic and Investment Summit, hosted by amiable Governor Aminu Bello Masari, in partnership […]

The quest for fiscal federalism and sustainable economic development takes a berth in Katsina State this week as policy makers, investors and managers of the economy begin a three-day summit aimed at re-positioning the state to meet emerging challenges.
The Katsina State Economic and Investment Summit, hosted by amiable Governor Aminu Bello Masari, in partnership with the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission and USAID NEXTT, is sure to be an eye-opener and a rallying point for the 19 states in Northern Nigeria, most of them buffeted by high cost of governance amidst dwindling income, rising unemployment and general insecurity.
While this summit will not re-invent the wheel on the need to look inwards for local self-reliance, it provides a re-awakening of sort for state governments who have largely depended on oil revenue shared every month in Abuja while neglecting the abundant natural resources in their backyard.
President Muhammadu Buhari, who has a thriving farm in Daura, is expected as a special guest at the event where industrialist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah will be keynote speakers. Other resource persons are Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Godwin Emefiele; President, ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, Mr. Bashir Mamman; Chief of Party, USAID-NEXTT, Mr. Marc Shiman and former Presidential Economic Adviser, Dr. Tanimu Kurfi.
The summit is premised on private sector facilitation, job creation, and entrepreneurial promotion through generation of viable investments in the state. Its listed objectives are: To create awareness on the state’s new investment climate and policy thrust and create a platform for dialogue with potential investors; discuss the specific needs of those willing to invest in Katsina state; share emerging investment ideas with the target audience; engage all the state’s unutilized and underutilized natural resources towards creating an efficient and prosperous state; revitalize the private sector for higher returns and employment generation; and enhance the visibility of the state as a viable investment hub.
Official information on the summit indicates that “stakeholders located within the LAKAJI Corridor States (states connected by the Lagos-Kano Railway line), all other states of Nigeria and the international investing community will be present to identify opportunities available in the state. This will also mark the official commencement of the synergy between the LAKAJI Corridor States, other states of the Nigerian federation and the International community.”
The summit will also provide a robust platform for Public Private Partnership, Business to Business, Person to Person and Consumer to Business interactions.
Organizers of the summit have identified five priority sectors based on the state’s comparative advantage and natural endowments. These are: Agri-business, Solid Minerals, Power Generation, Property Development and Hospitality /Creative Arts Industry.
The state is largely known for agriculture including its rich livestock potential. In fact agriculture is the backbone of the state’s economy where 75 per cent of its people are farmers. It is blessed with abundant agricultural land suitable for guinea corn, millet, maize, cow pea, cotton, groundnut among others.  Katsina is the largest producer of cotton even as it possesses a large livestock population namely cattle, goats and sheep.
Successive governments in the state have encouraged agro-livestock production by providing extension services, pesticide sprays, subsidized chemical fertilizer and veterinary services to contain both plant, and animal diseases and promote abundant agro in livestock production.
A major landmark in the state is the wind harvesting farm at Lamba Rimi designed to generate 10 mega watts of electricity. The Katsina Wind Farm Project, owned by the Federal Government, is designed to generate power with wind turbine as part of government’s integrated approach to boost electricity production to ensure abundant power supply.
This renewable (wind) energy project is capable of actualizing set target in view of its low cost of maintenance. The project was awarded to a French firm but has remained uncompleted. It is a good candidate for Public-Private-Partnership arrangement.
Records at the National Bureau of Statistics indicate that virtually all the 36 states in the country have rich and abundant mineral deposits viable for commercial exploitation. Katsina State is blessed with large mineral resources, both metallic and nonmetallic, to promote industrial growth. These are kaolin, asbestos, manganese, gold, uranium, nickel, chromites, silica sand and lateritic clay. These minerals can serve as raw materials to a wide range of industries especially chemical, pharmaceutical, cement, glassware, ceramics, building and construction. There are also opportunities for metallurgical, paint, electronics, cosmetics, drilling bits and weaponry industries.
With a tested captain at the helms, Katsina State may well be on the part to reap the benefits of economic diversification and self-reliance. The indices are encouraging.  The state is the largest producer of cotton; second largest producer of sorghum and produces 13% of the country’s total sugarcane. Moreover, the World Bank ranked Katsina 7th on ease of doing business. The state also ranks 12th in micro, small and medium enterprises and 17th in Gross State Product with average per capita of $6,022.