In the last seven years, Kaduna State Government has attracted a total investment portfolio of $4, 488,000,000, comprised of actualized and announced projects, and has produced 75, 750 direct and indirect jobs.
Speaking on Saturday in Kaduna at the 7th edition of the investment Kaduna Economic and Investment Summit (KadInvest 7.0), which began on Thursday, the Governor stated that the state government has also been providing a conducive environment for the private sector to drive the economy by embarking on numerous policy actions and reforms, including hosting the yearly Kaduna Economic and Investment Summit (KadInvest) since 2016.
El Rufai, who gave a summary of his administration’s accomplishments since its inception, explained why investors should invest in Kaduna state, citing an abundance of natural resources, a productive workforce, consistent economic growth, and the state’s location as the gateway to the northern market, Okay.ng sourced.
“Kaduna state is also the most improved state in the World Bank’s 2018 Ease of Doing Business Subnational report, and it has a very investor-friendly climate,” he added.
El Rufai went on to say that the state “is also Nigeria’s third largest consumer market, the third most populous state in Nigeria, and possesses 52% of Nigeria’s consumer market.”
“Kaduna state, on the other hand, is rich in mineral resources, with over 25 non-oil mineral reserves, including gold, iron ore, and marble,” he added.
The governor also enumerated some of his administration’s significant accomplishments, including raking in N52 billion in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) last year, up from N11 billion when he took office in 2015.
El Rufai further stated that the rebuilt Murtala Muhammed Square, which now boasts world-class sporting facilities, shopping malls, restaurants, and numerous leisure centers, was commissioned this year.
He noted that during his January state visit, President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned “certain road projects of the urban regeneration programme within the Kafanchan Municipal Authority and Zaria.”
“The Mando Infectious Disease Centre, LGEA Primary School, Lokoja Road, Rigasa.” The president commissioned the new Kawo-fly over bridge, which has dual carriageway, three ground rotaries, Aliyu Makama Road in Barnawa, and the Leventis Underpass,” he stated.
“KDSG has turned over Zaria Pharmaceuticals to private investors who will create syringes, intravenous fluids, and specimen vials,” said the governor. The restructured company is estimated to generate 200 direct jobs and over 1,000 indirect jobs.
According to him, the government has launched “the third round of loan disbursement to women entrepreneurs under the Kaduna State Women Empowerment Fund KADSWEF 3.0.”
“This year, Barnawa’s Technology City was inaugurated, with CoLab Innovation Campus serving as the flagship tenant.” “The AMA Medical production facility, a plant built to generate intravenous fluids, was also commissioned,” he recalled.
The first of three planned distribution hubs in the state, Zipline’s operations for quick delivery of medical supplies to health facilities, was commissioned at Pambegua, he noted.
“KDSG inked a technical and managerial service agreement with Doctors Clinic Company of the United Arab Emirates on the 300-bed hospital,” El Rufai added.
“It also struck an agreement with Elekta to purchase equipment for the hospital’s nuclear medicine and oncology center.” This will increase the country’s capacity to treat cancer,” he continued.
Justifying the topic of KadInvest 7.0, “Building a Resilient Economy,” the governor stated that government must be inventive, especially “in the aftermath of the global economic slowdown and to sustain changes into the next Administration.”
El Rufai believes that governments should “continue to innovate and become more resilient against global economic shocks, as well as starting to harness their comparative advantages to raise internally generated income and employment creation in order to endure these crisis.”
