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Nasarawa State has secured more than $34 million from the World Bank-backed State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) programme to support reforms and projects aimed at improving the business environment in the state.
Governor Abdullahi Sule disclosed this yesterday at a meeting of the Nasarawa Enabling Business Environment Council (NEBEC) in Lafia, where he directed that every proposed project must have a clear financial figure and demonstrate how it would improve the business environment.
“No proposal moves forward without a figure attached, and no figure moves forward without a clear link to easing business in the state,” Sule told the council.
The state first received $4 million, equivalent to about N17 billion at the time, under the programme for reforms carried out in 2023.
The reforms included the digitalisation of land administration through the Nasarawa Geographic Information System (NAGIS), the implementation of the Framework for Responsible and Inclusive Land-Intensive Agriculture (FRILIA) and executive orders aimed at attracting industrial and mining investments.
The reforms helped Nasarawa rank 10th nationally in the Subnational Ease of Doing Business ranking.
Sule said the state invested about N6 billion of the funds in upgrading the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Akwanga, N4.1 billion in the computerisation of the Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning, while part of the money was used for power infrastructure at the state secretariat.
Nasarawa later received another $11 million in 2025 and $17 million this year under the programme.
The governor said the latest $17 million had not been touched, as the state was still implementing projects funded from the previous disbursement.
Among the new proposals before the council is another phase of the DASH Akwanga upgrade, requiring about N5 billion for equipment and a new building.
The state is also proposing a 30 per cent equity contribution of about N1.8 billion towards an access road to the Brekete Family Smart City estate in Gurku.
Other projects include roads linking the Abdullahi Adamu Estate with the new Tomato Market, reconstruction of the Mararaba Bus Terminal at about N983 million and a N500 million power upgrade for the Nasarawa Broadcasting Service.
The council is, however, leaving part of the available funds undecided, with the next administration expected to inherit both the resources and responsibility for further implementation.
