Private Sector Investments: Gombe Govt Seeks Partnership With Islamic Development Bank
By Matthew Eloyi
The Gombe State Government under the leadership of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has sent a special delegation to the ongoing Islamic Development Bank’s Private Sector Forum and Annual Meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in an effort to woo more investment into the state.
It was gathered that the Gombe State delegation, led by the Chairman of the State’s Investment and Property Development Company, Dr Umaru Kwairanga ( Sarkin Fulanin Gombe) met with the IsDB’s team comprising Dr Mansur Mukhtar, Vice President; Dr Ahsaru Kibria, Country Manager; Mr. Mahmodou Alpha Bah, IsDB Nigeria Office; and Mr. Abdulkadir Baba-Ahmed, from IsDB VPs Office, Jeddah.
It was also learned that discussions between the two delegations centred around the ways through which the reputable financial institution will deploy its resources and expertise to support the Gombe State Government in critical areas of economic development.
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Specifically, the two teams discussed ways through which IsDB will actively participate in the next Gombe State Investment Summit (Goinvest 2.0) following the success recorded by the maiden summit held in December last year.
The Gombe delegation also sought the IsDB’s support for the Muhammadu Buhari Industrial Park through Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission’s investor drive and for the bank to participate in the formal commissioning of the park which is coming soon.
The Park Located in Dadinkowa, some 40km away from the state capital covers a thousand hectares of land and is provided with facilities and amenities like water, road network and power, guaranteeing a favourable atmosphere for industries to thrive.
On the Gombe Green Sukuk, the IsDB assured full support for the pre-development work, inventory aggregation, and the full implementation of the programme.
In the area of Agriculture, the Bank through its agricultural team will directly support the livestock-value-chain and the anti-venom manufacturing plant in the state to reduce the devastating effects of snake bites and other related health risks on the people of the state.
Balanga Dam, the second largest Dam in the state with a lot of potential is also set to benefit from the collaborative efforts. The Balanga Dam Project will be implemented with a detailed business plan and investor proposals thereby exploiting its full potential for the growth and development of Gombe State.
The great Wawa-zange Grazing Reserve will also receive the needed attention. it is agreed that Gombe State will support MercyCorps to fast-track the development of the Business Case through the concession of the Project, putting the reserve to good use.
The IsDB’s team assured of their group’s readiness to support the state in all the potential areas of investments and interventions, expressing confidence that the state has proven to be a dependable development partner.
The Gombe State delegation had Dr Ishiyaku Mohammed, Special Adviser to the Governor on Budget, Planning, and Development Partner Coordination; and Haj. Aisha Bako, Managing Director Onyx Consultant
