* Declares open Jigawa investment summit 2026
Deji Elumoye in Abuja
Vice-President Kashim Shettima on Wednesday explained some of the strategies being deployed by the government of President Bola Tinubu to improve the ease of doing business in the country.
According to him, through the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), as well as the bold structural and fiscal reforms, the Federal Government has replaced gatekeeping with partnership that has enabled the sub-nationals to unlock their economic potential.
Shettima, who disclosed this while declaring open the Jigawa State Investment Summit 2026, in Dutse, the state capital, noted that across the federation, the President Tinubu-led Federal Government has taken difficult but necessary decisions to put the economy back on a path of sustainable growth.
He said: “On our part, we have made it easier to do business in Nigeria. Through the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, we have simplified registrations and permits, and brought the cost and time of starting and running a business steadily down. The Business Facilitation Act has given these reforms the force of law, binding our agencies to transparency, predictability and speed.
“We have also unified and liberalised the foreign-exchange market, ended distortions that for too long frightened away serious investors, and put public finances on a more honest footing.”
The vice-president observed that even though it had been a journey for which patience is required, the outcomes indicate that it is paying off, as the currency markets are now functioning more transparently, and reserves are now firmer.
He said for the first time in over 10 years, the world’s leading rating agencies have started raising Nigeria’s sovereign credit standing, while the reforms at the centre are helping the states to unlock and deploy resources prudently.
Explaining how the administration’s reforms have opened the strategic sectors of the economy to private capital, Shettima cited the Electricity Act 2023, which he said “stands as a consequential reform, devolving real power to the states to license, generate and distribute electricity, and inviting investors to build the power infrastructure our industries and homes so urgently need”.
“From power to agriculture, from solid minerals to the digital economy, we have replaced gatekeeping with partnership. And we have redirected the savings from hard reform towards the things that build a nation, into infrastructure, into human capital, and into support for our most vulnerable citizens, so that growth, when it comes, is felt in the household and not only in the headline,” he said.
The vice-president acknowledged, however, that reform at the centre would make little or no impact if it does not reach the states, noting that it is the reason why the Federal Government, through the National Economic Council (NEC) and the Federal Executive Council (FEC), has prioritised healthy debates and deliberations to harmonise ideas for the nation’s economic direction.
The healthy debates, he noted, are aimed at strengthening the fiscal health and transparency of states, “to help them unlock and deploy resources prudently, to channel support towards agriculture, food security and the protection of our environment and livelihoods, and to open doors for sub-national governments to access development finance and climate finance on fair terms”.
Acknowledging that Jigawa State had been “a place of immense economic opportunities and untapped potential”, Shettima said the investment summit is an assurance of the efforts and readiness of the state governor, Mallam Umar Namadi, “to revitalise the investment ecosystem of the state”.
While wooing both local and foreign investors, the vice-president reminded them “that the Federal Government has done the hard work of reform, and that, in partnership with the Jigawa State Government”, the Tinubu administration is convinced that the promise of Jigawa State “is one of high yields”.
“We will be here to offer support and to ensure that you experience no bureaucratic bottlenecks in setting up here and enjoying the dividends of courage,” he assured.
Earlier, Governor of Jigawa State, Namadi, explained that the summit was designed as a working platform to move the state beyond aspiration to disciplined execution, creating viable and valuable opportunities for investors.
Namadi reaffirmed confidence in Jigawa’s capacity to achieve sustainable prosperity through vision, credible investment and purposeful partnership.
He said Jigawa has over 24,700 square meters of fertile arable land, including more than 411,000 hectares of Fadama suitable for a year round farming, with water and irrigation assets, welcoming business climate, capable and hardworking population as well as access to market across northern Nigeria and neighbouring Niger Republic along the ancient Tran-saharan corridor.
“Our development direction is anchored on Jigawa vision and our 12 Points Agenda with priorities that include agricultural transformation, infrastructure, energy, the digital economy, private sector growths, revenue expansion, security, social protection, health, education and vocational skills development.” the governor said.
Also, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice-President), Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadeija, advised the Jigawa State government to invest more resources in energy generation, noting that without stable power it would be very difficult to attract any meaningful investment.
Hadeija said President Tinubu has deregulated the power sector, with Jigawa having a three Megawatts Independent Power Project in Dutse with 16 kilometers of transmission and distribution.
On his part, Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, said Jigawa occupies a unique and strategic position in Nigeria’s agricultural landscape, adding that the state is naturally endowed with natural resources, particularly within the livestock sector, with an estimated population of 3.6 million cattle, 5.6 million sheep, 6.6 million goats and others.
According to him, Jigawa State livestock value chain are both expansive and lucrative.
The minister urged local and international investors to look closely at the Jigawa State livestock sector, noting that the resources are abundant, the political will is resolute and the market is ready.
On her part, Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, described the theme of the summit as timely and inspiring, adding that it reflects a bold vision for economic transformation and the commitment to harnessing the vast opportunities in the state for the benefits of its people and future generations.
The minister commended the remarkable stride of the Jigawa governor, adding that his administration has demonstrated a clear commitment to people’s centred development.
In his remark, Chairman of the summit and Chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu (Wazirin Dutse), said because Jigawa is strategically located in the heart of Northern Nigeria, it serves as a gateway between the North-west and the North-east Nigeria.
“So our product and produce can easily reach big markets from Jigawa State to anyway. That is a very big blessing and attraction to any investor. We have got the arable land – lots of it and we have committed farmers, who are hospitable, welcoming,” he said.
