Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has called for stronger partnerships with international development organisations to improve living conditions in rural communities and strengthen the state’s agrarian economy
Lawal made the call while speaking at an international summit in Ethiopia, where he highlighted his administration’s commitment to sustainable development, improved social services and economic empowerment
He said his vision was to build a Zamfara where every child had access to opportunities, quality healthcare, education, adequate nutrition and a better standard of living
The governor said agriculture remained central to the state’s economy but noted that insecurity had prevented farmers in some communities from accessing their farmlands
“Zamfara State is clearly an agrarian economy However, we have a big challenge in insecurity. And insecurity has made it difficult for farmers to access their farmlands to produce what they consume, not to talk of exports,” he said.
Lawal said his administration was determined to address the challenges through investments in community-focused programmes and collaboration with development partners
He cited the state government’s partnership with UNICEF, noting that the provision of counterpart funding had helped facilitate interventions in healthcare, education and social development
“We are very conscious of keying into all the development partners For example, UNICEF. We always contribute our counterpart funding to match whatever may come from such partners. This makes things easier to have a better livelihood,” he said.
The governor stressed that development programmes should not only deliver immediate results but also remain sustainable and benefit future generations
“For every programme that we have in place, when you look at the success story, the next question is: how sustainable is that programme?” he asked
He said his participation at the summit was aimed at exchanging ideas with other leaders and learning from successful development models that could be adapted to Zamfara’s circumstances
Lawal also called for collective efforts among governments and development organisations to improve the livelihoods of rural populations
“What do we do to make this thing easy for our people, as responsible leaders for our respective communities?” he asked
He said his administration would continue to combine security efforts, social investments and partnerships with development organisations to improve living conditions across the state