Vice President Kashim Shettima has said the administration of President Bola Tinubu is making it easier to do business in Nigeria through sweeping economic reforms designed to attract investment, improve transparency and unlock the economic potential of states.
Shettima stated this on Wednesday while declaring open the Jigawa State Investment Summit 2026 in Dutse, the state capital, where he said the Federal Government had replaced bureaucratic bottlenecks with policies that encourage partnerships and private sector participation.
According to him, the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), the Business Facilitation Act and other structural and fiscal reforms have significantly improved the country’s investment climate.
“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 acknowledged that the reforms required patience but said they were already yielding positive results, with improved transparency in the foreign exchange market, stronger external reserves and upgrades in Nigeria’s sovereign credit ratings by leading global rating agencies.
He added that the reforms at the federal level were helping states strengthen their fiscal positions and deploy resources more effectively.
Highlighting reforms in the power sector, Shettima described the Electricity Act 2023 as a major milestone that has devolved electricity regulation to states and created opportunities for private investment.
“The Electricity Act 2023 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 toward 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, however, stressed that reforms at the centre would have limited impact unless they translated into development at the sub-national level.
According to him, the Federal Government, through the National Economic Council and the Federal Executive Council, has prioritised collaboration with state governments to strengthen fiscal transparency, improve food security, promote agriculture and expand access to development and climate finance.
Describing Jigawa as a state with enormous investment potential, Shettima said the summit reflected Governor Umar Namadi’s commitment to revitalising the state’s investment ecosystem.
He assured prospective investors of the Federal Government’s support, saying: “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.”
Earlier, Governor Namadi said the summit was conceived as a practical platform to attract investments capable of transforming the state’s economy.
He highlighted Jigawa’s vast agricultural resources, including over 24,700 square kilometres of fertile arable land and more than 411,000 hectares of fadama suitable for year-round farming, as well as its strategic access to markets across northern Nigeria and neighbouring Niger Republic.
“Our development direction is anchored on Jigawa Vision and our 12-Point Agenda with priorities that include agricultural transformation, infrastructure, energy, the digital economy, private sector growth, revenue expansion, security, social protection, health, education and vocational skills development,” the governor said.
Also speaking, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadeija, urged the Jigawa State Government to prioritise investment in power generation, stressing that stable electricity remains critical to attracting investors.
Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, described Jigawa as a strategic livestock hub with an estimated population of 3.6 million cattle, 5.6 million sheep and 6.6 million goats, urging investors to take advantage of opportunities across the livestock value chain.
Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, commended Governor Namadi’s development agenda, while Chairman of the summit and Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, highlighted Jigawa’s strategic location, fertile land and farming population as key attractions for investors.
Deji Elumoye
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