The Kebbi Government have expressed plans to establish a gold refinery in the state as part of efforts to attract foreign investment and drive economic diversification.

Ali Jega, board member, Kebbi Investment Promotion Agency (KIPA), said this on Wednesday in Abuja at a pre-Summit Investors’ Engagement’ ahead of the Kebbi Investment Summit scheduled for February 2026.

Jega said Kebbi was richly endowed with mineral resources, adding that a significant portion of the Sokoto Basin, believed to contain oil and gas deposits, lied within the state.

“In terms of raw materials, Kebbi is richer than Kuwait and Qatar. About 70 per cent of the Sokoto Basin is in Kebbi, and that area is full of gas and oil, even more than what is in the Niger Delta,” he said.

He said that Kebbi ranked second in gold deposits nationwide, adding that a group of investors from Dubai had indicated interest in establishing a gold refinery in the state.

“As I am speaking, a group from Dubai has contacted us to establish a gold refinery in the state to harness our gold resources.

“They intend to bring gold from Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali to be refined within the Sokoto–Kebbi axis,” Jega said.

According to him, the proposed refinery would be accredited by the London Gold Market and Switzerland, positioning Kebbi as an export hub for refined gold in the sub-region.

He said the investment would also contribute to addressing security challenges by creating jobs and engaging youths in productive ventures.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the Kebbi Investment Promotion Agency, Mr Mohammed Kamba, described the pre-summit event as critical to the state’s industrial development drive.

Kamba said 22 investment proposals across sectors such as energy, agriculture, mining and transport had been screened.

He said: “The engagement is aimed at reaching financial close ahead of the main summit on February. 11, 2026.

“Kebbi is strategically located and is the closest state in Northern Nigeria to the West African market, in some places less than one kilometre away.

“If Nigeria is to fully benefit from the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, investment in transport and logistics infrastructure in Kebbi will be critical.”

Meanwhile, Mr Lawrence Osakwe, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Karlot Energy Ltd., said the company, a renewable energy service provider, was interested in investing in Kebbi.

He said the company chose the state for investment due to the state’s relative peace and stability in the northern region.