TheCable

Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, has inaugurated the Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency (KADIPA).

Speaking during the ceremony on Thursday, el-Rufai welcomed Muhammadu Sanusi, former emir of Kano, to the board and thanked him for accepting to serve the people of the state.

In 2020, el-Rufai had appointed Sanusi as vice-chairman of the board of the agency — the appointment came the day after Abdullahi Ganduje, Kano governor, dethroned the former emir.

The governor also urged the board, chaired by Hadiza Balarabe, his deputy, to double its efforts in making the state the topmost investment destination in Nigeria by improving its ease-of-doing-business ranking.

He said KADIPA has been a very important and successful vehicle in the investment drive of the state, helping to attract over $2.1 billion in actual and pledged investments since 2015.

The governor noted that KADIPA will be competing not just with other states in Nigeria, but with all emerging markets, adding that the agency should not rest on its oars in its drive to attract investment to Kaduna.

Responding on behalf of other members of the board, Balarabe assured the governor of their commitment to improve on the record of KADIPA, given the calibre of persons on the board.