By Peter Yusuf
In silence, without fanfare and noise-making, Kaduna is transforming. Right before our eyes, the administration of Senator Uba Sani seems intent on restoring and even surpassing the state’s past glories as the powerhouse of Northern Nigeria. Just recently, the state government unveiled an Inclusive Business Strategy Document, a first of its kind by any Nigerian state. The document is aimed as spurring economic growth and development across the state.
“The Inclusive Business Strategy is more than just a policy framework,” said Sani, represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, at the unveiling, which took place last Wednesday and was organised by the Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency (KADIPA). In attendance were members of the business community as well as senior government officials.
“It is a roadmap to shared prosperity. Through this strategy, we affirm a fundamental principle: economic growth must be for all, and not just a privileged few.”
Of concern to Sani and based on the implementation of the state’s 2025, the document aims to underscore “our resolve to drive inclusive development, economic diversification, and human capital growth.”
With huge participation in agriculture, commerce and manufacturing, Kaduna had attracted investment even before getting a state status in 1967. However, while Kaduna progressively sank economically for various reasons, the spate of kidnapping and banditry it suffered in the past decade took it on a nose-dive. Thankfully, the Sani administration is giving Kaduna a new lease of life. And this time around, the governor is designing government policies to touch every segment of the society.
“In Kaduna State, we understand that economic growth must be equitable,” Sani said.
“It must include the marginalized and empower the underserved. This is not just a moral imperative but a pragmatic one, as inclusive business strategies pave the way for innovation, resilience, and social cohesion. Each of us plays a pivotal role in ensuring that our local economies flourish and that prosperity is widely shared among our citizens.”
In his welcome address, the Executive Secretary of KADIPA, Malam Sadiq Mohammed, reiterated the need for equitable distribution of opportunities given the state’s abundance of human and natural resources. He promised that the document will deploy innovative business models, strategic partnerships, and financing mechanisms to unlock the untapped potentials of Kaduna residents.
“Like many developing regions, we face the challenge of ensuring that economic growth translates into widespread opportunities for all – especially for marginalized communities, women, youth, and people with disabilities in business,” Mohammed said.
“It is an opportunity for all of us – government leaders, business innovators, development partners, and community stakeholders – to collaborate, align our goals, and lay the foundation for a thriving ecosystem of inclusive businesses in Kaduna State.’”
Firstly, without security of life and property, one cannot even start talking about business. Prior to May 2023, Kaduna was a hotbed for criminality, chief of the crimes being kidnapping and banditry. However, in a move now christened ‘Kaduna Model’, Governor Sani engaged different stakeholders like Traditional rulers, youth leaders, market leaders, and political leaders in the communities with various federal and state security outfits such as the Army, Police, Airforce, Immigration, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Department of State Security (DSS) and even the Kaduna Vigilance Service (KADVS). Together, a plan which is succeeding in ridding the state of crime, was implemented. For instance, Birnin Gwari used to be a kidnappers’ haven that even residents fled from. But now, markets there are being re-opened, residents and farmers are returning and life is once again, back to normal. For this feat, ThisDay Newspaper and Arise TV recently conferred on him the award of 2024 Governor of the Year. At that event, publisher of the newspaper, Nduka Obaigbena, described Sani as ‘very frugal in managing resources’ and ‘gradually restoring peace to Kaduna.’
Also, blessed with arable land, it is little surprise that agriculture in Kaduna is a serious business. It employs 42% of the residents and contributes 42.81% to the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). And as a way of incentivising farmers, Sani’s administration launched ‘A Koma Gona’ (Get Back to Farm), a scheme which empowered 40,000 smallholder farmers across the state with seedlings, input and equipment. In other programmes, the state also gave 120,000 smallholder farmers 240,000 bags of fertilisers and has invested in the farmers by providing them with free farm inputs as well as farm machinery. Hence, whether it is ginger, soybean, groundnut, millet, maize, tomatoes, wheat, rice, or grapes, Kaduna farmers know they have a partner in their government.
However, to increase its agricultural value-chain, the state has partnered with the private sector in deals ranging from investing in the $50m Sunagrow International Oil Ltd soybean oil refining plant in Kutungare, Igabi Local Government Area and the $150m agreement with StarAgri West Africa Limited to transform and operate state-owned warehouses and silos to modern facilities and deploy an electronic warehousing system. This is in addition to partnership with AfriEximBank to build the Africa Quality Centre in Kaduna. All these initiatives are expected to create thousands of jobs.
Also, Kaduna has large deposits of some solid minerals like Gold and Lithium. However, the unorganised nature of the solid minerals sector has attracted majorly illegal miners, which has robbed the government of its earnings. Hence, it is a relief that the state government is now serious about mining and has entered into partnerships with reputable companies like UK-based Jupiter Lithium Ltd and US-based ReElement Technologies Corporation to prospect for and process Lithium in Kaduna.
The state government has also doubled up on providing other social goods like roads, schools and hospitals all across the state. But perhaps, the most lasting investment Sani is doing relates to human capital development. Last year, the government dialogue with artisans at the storied Panteka Market to modernise the market to become a technology hub and a major skills acquisition centre with capacity to engage over 40,000 artisans. This is ongoing. Also, it is building three Vocational and Technological Skills Acquisition Centres in Soba, Igabi, and Zangon Kataf local government areas. Upon completion, these centres are expected to train at least 12, 000 youths annually for employment in various industries. For this also, the Federal University of Technology, Minna at its recent 33rd Convocation Ceremony, conferred upon Sani an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Entrepreneurship (Honoris Causa). According to the university, the award recognises the governor’s “lifetime dedication to entrepreneurship, human capital development, and economic empowerment.”
It is good to know that Kaduna’s Inclusive Business Strategy Document will integrate low-income communities into the economic value chain, create sustainable livelihoods and enhance gender equality. These are glaring signs of a progressive economy and what every Nigerian society should aspire to become.
Excellence in governance, like in other human endeavours, is not easy. Hence, when Uba Sani makes it seem easy like he does in Kaduna, he deserves to be understudied. Indeed, while Sani humbly goes about governing Kaduna, he is silently showing his peers what they can learn from him across the different sectors he has graced with his midas touch. The prayer is that they don’t become too proud to learn.