Katsina State Government has expressed readiness to collaborate with the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) to boost investments in the agriculture and mineral resources sectors of the economy.
Gov Dikko Radda made the disclosure through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Ibrahim Kaula-Mohammed, in a statement on Tuesday in Katsina.
Kaula-Mohammed said the governor spoke when he visited the NIPC headquarters, Abuja.
Gov. Radda highlighted the significance of value addition in agriculture, saying that many farmers struggled to turn a profit, but due to lack of processing facilities and limited access to loans, it became difficult for them.
He therefore stressed the need for initiative that could provide the necessary support for processing and adding value to agricultural products.
“Katsina is the investment drive for agriculture and mineral resources because we have a large deposit of various minerals in the state,” he said,
Kaula-Mohammed reported Gov Radda saying that the state had abundant resources which included lithium, bitumen and gold.
The governor assured potential investors of the state government’s commitment to create enabling environment to facilitate business operations.
He also highlighted the state’s relaxed laws designed to accommodate investors and encourage them to invest in the state.
“We are always willing to participate in all investment forums that may likely need our presence.
“We have opened our windows. We need to diversify and do many things in order to mitigate the current economic challenges.
“And the only way you can do this is to attract more investments,” he emphasised.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary/CEO, NIPC, Aisha Rimi, acknowledged the importance of attracting and retaining investors.
She outlined the commission’ s commitment to collaborating with states and supporting their investment promotion agencies through programmes like the State Certification Programme.
The programme, she said, was aimed at strengthening the capacity of state agencies, streamline processes and facilitate investments.
“It’s not just about bringing in investors. We have to help them to stay.
“Investors will go where they have ease. We have to make sure that when they come in, all their issues are attended to in a timely and uncorrupted manner,” Rimi stressed.
She pointed out that the collaboration between Katsina State and NIPC would foster economic growth, create employment opportunities, and maximize usage of untapped agricultural and mineral resources.
