President Bola Tinubu has affirmed that the future of Nigeria’s prosperity is intrinsically linked to the development of northern Nigeria, emphasizing the need to unlock the region’s vast mineral, agricultural, and energy resources to drive national industrial competitiveness.
Speaking through the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, at the Nigeria Investment and Industrialisation Summit in Abuja, Tinubu said his administration is already implementing key industrialisation projects with a specific focus on northern Nigeria.
The summit was convened under the leadership of the Northern Elders Forum.
He commended NEF for what he described as a determined effort to reposition the region and restore it to its historical significance in Nigeria’s development trajectory.
“The future of Nigeria’s prosperity is inseparable from the future of northern Nigeria. If we unlock the north’s minerals, we secure a new era of industrial competitiveness,” Edun said on behalf of the President.
“If we unlock the north’s agriculture, we guarantee food security and global export leadership. If we unlock the north’s power, we ignite a wave of industrialisation that will employ millions of Nigerians.”
According to President Tinubu, his government’s economic agenda is rooted in inclusivity and driven by the private sector, with the goal of removing barriers and expanding opportunities.
“President Tinubu’s economic vision is to build strong, stable and inclusive economy where government clears obstacles out of the way, where the private sector provides the engine of growth and where every Nigerian can rise,” Edun stated. “The north is not just a part of the country, it is the engine of the country. So together, let us seize this moment to transform northern Nigeria into the powerhouse of Nigeria’s prosperity.”
The summit, themed ‘Unlocking Northern Nigeria’s Mining, Agricultural and Power Potentials (MAP2035)’, presents a 10-year strategy aimed at turning Northern Nigeria into a center of innovation and inclusive growth. NEF described it as a comprehensive blueprint to drive transformation across the region.
Highlighting recent economic performance, Edun noted that Nigeria’s GDP grew by 4.23% in the second quarter of 2025 — the strongest quarterly growth recorded in a decade outside the COVID-19 rebound. He also pointed out a consistent upward trend since 2023.
“In the second quarter of 2025, that’s just this last quarter, April to June, the GDP of Nigeria grew by 4.23%, the strongest growth in a decade except for the COVID rebound era,” he said. “More critically, industrial growth, where jobs are created, doubled year-on-year, while agriculture and services also expanded robustly.”
He added that inflation has steadily declined to 20.12% as of August, with continued monthly reductions over the past five months. He also pointed to improvements in trade surplus and foreign reserves.
“Our trade surplus, $7.4 trillion, reserves risen to $42 billion, and as we know, the naira has not only stabilised, it has even strengthened,” he said. “But this progress is not by chance; it is a result of deliberate, intentional, and strategic policies anchored on the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”
He stressed that reforms in mining, agriculture, and energy are central to the government’s strategy, especially in the North where these sectors are key growth levers.
“What are those opportunities? As we have just heard, the north holds some of the most valuable mineral deposits in Africa. Gold, lithium, tin, zinc, limestone, coal are all available in the north, and new reforms are formalising artisanal mining, attracting credible investors… and ensuring that host communities benefit directly.”
Also speaking at the summit, Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, stressed the need to address insecurity in the region to encourage investment. He called on all 19 northern states to align their economic strategies to unlock collective development.
“The question before us, as leaders, is not what needs to be done, but how we must collectively act to transform potential into prosperity,” Lawal said. “To attract the investment we so desperately need and to industrialise our region for the benefit of the entire nation, we must move beyond rhetoric and embrace a new paradigm of collaborative action.”
In his welcome address, NEF Convener and Chairman, Professor Ango Abdullahi, represented by Air Marshal Al’amin Daggash (rtd.), noted that inadequate infrastructure remains a major hindrance to industrialisation in the North.
The summit signals a renewed push by northern leaders and stakeholders to reposition the region as a central pillar in Nigeria’s economic revival through strategic reforms and partnerships.
