With huge optimism and a firm belief in the vast economic potential of Gombe State, Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has scored another first, with yesterday’s flag-off of the maiden Gombe Investment Summit tagged: “GoInvest 2022”.
At the opening ceremony of the three-day summit with participants from Nigeria and outside the country, Governor Inuwa reeled out the huge potential of Gombe even as he flaunted its credentials as the best in the Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria and the safest and most peaceful state in the North East zone.
The governor observed that the place of Gombe in commerce, industry and tourism was well established, as throughout history, the state had continued to capture the imagination of traders, business caravans and enterprising wanderers from within and outside Nigeria.
“Our position is boosted by Gombe’s strategic location at the centre of the North East sub-region and proximity to neighboring countries around the Lake Chad Basin, enterprising and peace-loving population, unity in diversity, comparative advantage in agriculture, commerce, and abundance of natural resource like limestone, gypsum, uranium, coal, crude oil, kaolin, etc. Gombe also boasts of great potential in irrigation and hydropower generation through the Dadin Kowa, Balanga and Cham dams.
“In the same vein, we also realised that in order to put our state on the path of sustainable progress and long-term prosperity, we must strategically invest in both human capital and infrastructural development,” he said.
With the theme: “Industrialisation: the Pathway to Innovation, Transformation and Development of Gombe” Governor Inuwa said in addition to its numerous empowerment programs for SMEs, “we are partnering with local and international stakeholders to provide cheap and affordable financing for our entrepreneur”.
In an address to participants at the summit, the Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business and Secretary of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, PEBEC, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, extolled the administrative ingenuity of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya and his cabinet for churning out realistic policies and plans that earned the State top spot in the ease of doing business in the country.
Dr Jumoke Oduwole revealed that base on a methodological homegrown base line survey conducted, Gombe State came top in infrastructure and transparency, security, electricity, transportation and Primary Health Care, accessibility to information via Investment promotion, regulatory environment as well as skills and development.
She said Gombe earned the top spot, not because of geographical location or any other consideration, but by what was being done, strong leadership and cohesion in the managerial circle which brought positive results.
In an address of welcome, Gombe State deputy governor and chairman of the steering committee of the summit, Dr Manassah Daniel Jatau, said the event was organised to showcase and highlight all the potential and opportunities that abound to investors and convince them to do business in state.
He appealed to the federal government, investors and all stakeholders to “dip your buckets where you are” to ensure the success of this summit, which is crucial for the progressive change in the lives of residents of Gombe, the North East geopolitical zone and the country at large.
The event was attended by both local and foreign investors, development partners, financial institutions, members of the business community among others. Mr. Odewale Adesoye (A. K. A. Green Man) also attended the summit.
Below are some of the pictures from the event as sourced for by Mr. Green Man.
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