Gov Lawal advocates transparent partnerships at AFREXIM investment conference in Kenya

Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has reiterated his administration’s commitment to focusing on transparent and open development partnerships that leverage his state’s unique social and economic advantages.

The Governor who represented the Nigeria Governors Forum at the programme was a panellist at the fourth Africa Sub-Sovereign Network Conference, declared open on Monday by the Kenyan President, Dr Williams Ruto, in the Kisumu County of that country.

A statement by the Governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, said that the conference with the theme, ‘Leveraging the AfCFTA for Sustainable Trade and Investment: A Development Pathway for African Sub-Sovereigns’, ended in the early hours of Wednesday.

Delivering a goodwill message on behalf of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Lawal noted that the theme of the AfsNET conference resonates with the developmental aspirations of African sub-national governments.

He said, “It challenges us to align our strategies and resources towards unlocking the transformative potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

“In Nigeria, we recognise the critical role of sub-national governments in driving trade, investment, and economic growth.

“Our 36 states are diverse economic hubs, each with unique comparative advantages contributing to the national economy.

“One example of leveraging trade for sustainable development can be seen in the Kaduna State Agro-Allied Industrial Zone, a public-private partnership initiative designed to integrate agricultural production with processing and export.

“This project demonstrates how sub-sovereigns can harness local resources and the AfCFTA framework to enhance value addition and expand market access across Africa.

“Similarly, the Lekki Free Trade Zone has become a model of industrialization and foreign direct investment attraction in Lagos State. Its strategic location and integration into regional trade corridors highlight the importance of infrastructure and institutional support in realizing AfCFTA’s benefits.”

At the panel discussion on creating sustainable solutions for the development of the African region, Governor Lawal highlighted that development and sustainability are intertwined concepts that aim to balance economic growth, social equity and environmental protection.

“As governor within the Northwest sub-region of Nigeria, which includes six other Governors, we have created the North-West Governors’ Forum to articulate and harmonize policies that will engender regional cooperation for sustainable development. This has already begun to yield results that facilitate prosperity within the sub-region.

“To sustain any development solutions, the collaboration between governments at different levels in development efforts is critical and the way out. Decisive, accountable, and transparent institutions are needed to inspire confidence in the stakeholders,” Lawal said.

On security, Governor Lawal emphasised that without a secure environment, governments cannot efficiently provide social services such as education, healthcare, gender equality, elimination of inequality, and foster economic empowerment of the most vulnerable, essential prerequisites for sustained development.

He said, “Constitutional provisions limit the scope of a Governor in terms of providing security to the people he governs; nonetheless, we have made concerted efforts to ensure that our environment in Zamfara remains secure by establishing the Community Protection Guard (CPG) which has curtailed the level of insecurity experienced before the advent of my administration.”

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