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Kano Govt Partners NWDC to Fast-Track Rural Development
Kano State Government has sought a strategic partnership with the North-West Development Commission (NWDC) to accelerate sustainable rural and community development across the state.
The partnership proposal was presented on Saturday, when the Commissioner for Rural and Community Development, Dr. Abdulqadir Abdussalam, led a high-level delegation on a working visit to the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the NWDC, Professor Shehu Abdullahi Ma’aji, at the Commission’s headquarters in Kano.
Abdussalam said the visit was to formally align the state’s rural development agenda with the Commission’s mandate and to ensure interventions reach the most underserved communities.
During the visit, he unveiled the Ministry’s Integrated Sustainability Framework for Rural and Community Development, which he said was developed after a year-long field engagement covering all 44 Local Government Areas and nearly 400 wards, involving traditional institutions, youth groups and community stakeholders.
He explained that the framework is anchored on five major development instruments.
According to him, these include alignment with nine priority United Nations Sustainable Development Goals critical to human security at the rural level, including education, health and water and sanitation; the National Development Plan targeting basic necessities across 774 LGAs; the Kano State Economic Blueprint 2023 and beyond and the State Development Plan which places rural transformation at its core; and a grassroots needs assessment to identify long-standing infrastructure gaps.
The Commissioner said the ministry has prioritized communities with critical deficits and is ready to share data, personnel and community structures with the NWDC to ensure impact.
Responding, Professor Ma’aji commended the ministry for its methodical, data-driven approach and reaffirmed the Commission’s mandate.
He noted that the NWDC, established under the NWDC Establishment Act 2024 signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is charged with catalyzing socio-economic development and tackling poverty, insecurity and infrastructure deficits across the seven North-West states of Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara.
“Rural development is at the heart of the NWDC mandate. We cannot develop the North-West without developing our rural communities. The framework you have presented aligns seamlessly with our strategic roadmap. We will partner with you to ensure that desired rural and community development is brought to our people across the seven states in a sustainable, equitable and impactful manner,” Ma’aji said.
He assured the delegation of the Commission’s commitment to partner with the ministry and directed his technical team to immediately engage with the ministry’s team to harmonize the needs assessment data with the Commission’s project pipeline and develop a joint action plan for early implementation.
