A coalition of Nigerian Northern leaders has announced over $10 billion in investment pledges for the region’s core economic sectors, establishing a new council to steer a coordinated development master plan.
The pledges, focused on mining, agriculture, and power, were secured at the conclusion of the two-day Northern Nigeria Investment and Industrialisation Summit (NNIIS) in Abuja.
The event gathered state governors, federal ministers, international delegations, and private sector investors.
In response, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) officially launched the Northern Nigeria Economic Development Council (NNEDC), an institutional body tasked with implementing a comprehensive economic blueprint for the region.
“With security as the bedrock, policy coherence as the framework, and private capital as the engine, Northern Nigeria can transform its endowments into sustainable growth, a decisive pivot from rhetoric to execution,” said Professor D.D. Sheni, Director-General of NEF.
The summit, themed “Unlocking Strategic Opportunities in Mining, Agriculture, and Power (MAP 2025),” demonstrated a rare unified vision. Governors from the North West, North East, and North Central regions signed a new Northern Nigeria Economic Development Charter, committing their states to a common economic agenda.
The federal government also signalled its support. President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, stated that “the future of Nigeria’s prosperity is inseparable from the future of Northern Nigeria,” reaffirming the administration’s commitment to reviving the region’s economy.
According to a communiqué signed by NEF Board of Trustees Chairman, Professor Ango Abdullahi, the $10 billion in pledges is targeted over the next five years.
The investments were catalysed through state investment showcases and business matchmaking sessions.
International interest was significant, with delegations from Turkey, India, Canada, Bangladesh, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia expressing readiness to invest.
To translate pledges into tangible projects, the newly created NNEDC will operate under the joint oversight of NEF and the Northern Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NNGF)
A Joint Implementation and Monitoring Taskforce (JIMT) has been established to oversee initial actions and is expected to publish an operational roadmap within 60 days.
The NNEDC will also issue quarterly scorecards to publicly track outcomes on jobs created, energy capacity added, and investments mobilised.
The forum outlined measures to overcome existing hurdles, acknowledging that while the region is rich in minerals like gold, copper, and lithium, it faces challenges such as illegal mining and environmental risks.
The proposed solutions include:
- Reforming the mining sector with clear royalties, strong community engagement, and robust environmental safeguards.
- · Institutionalising land administration reforms, such as creating digitised land records and community benefit agreements.
- · Mobilising capital-market instruments like infrastructure bonds and sukuk to fund energy projects.
- · Advocating for standardised public-private partnership (PPP) frameworks to accelerate project delivery.
The NEF reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and accountability as it leads the region into this new phase of coordinated economic transformation.