Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, former managing director of the defunct FSB International Bank and ex-presidential aspirant, says northern Nigeria must adopt data-driven planning to remain competitive.
Hayatu-Deen spoke in Abuja while delivering the keynote address at the northern Nigerian investment summit organised by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF).
Speaking on “Harnessing technology as a driver of development in northern Nigeria”, he said unity and shared vision among the 19 states of the region are critical for prosperity.
“If northern Nigeria is going to compete, not just within Nigeria, but across Africa and the world, we must move beyond state-by-state strategies and adopt a coordinated regional plan,” Hayatu-Deen said.
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He argued that the region must integrate its infrastructure, technology and institutions, citing the south-west as an example of how collective action attracts investment and talent.
He added that northern Nigeria’s competitiveness would not depend on mineral wealth or fertile land alone, but on its ability to act as a cohesive, innovative bloc that builds bridges between governments, businesses and opportunities.
Hayatu-Deen called for the creation of shared institutions, regional councils and commissions to drive infrastructure delivery, education, trade and industrial transformation.
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On technology, he proposed a MAP 2025 tech compact — modernise, accelerate, prosper — to guide the north’s strategy over the next five years.
The compact, according to him, includes digitising 50 percent of the agriculture value chain by 2030, training three million youths in tech-driven skills by 2028, achieving 40 percent renewable energy penetration in industrial zones by 2028, embedding AfCFTA trade protocols into regional systems and establishing regional financial institutions to power growth.
He stressed the need for data-driven planning and called for live databases of entrepreneurs and diaspora investors to link capital with ideas.
“Without data, we are invisible; with it, we become a region that speaks with authority at the national and continental table,” he said.
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Hayatu-Deen commended the NEF for expanding its role beyond politics into economic development, describing the summit as a timely platform to reposition the North for sustainable prosperity.
The event attracted prominent northern leaders, including Ango Abdullahi, NEF chairman, and Al-Amin Daggash, retired air marshal and chairman of the management board, alongside other eminent personalities.
