The federal government has charged state governments to focus on providing a conducive environment for investors to come in.

Director General of Nigeria Mining Cadastre, Engr. Obadiah S Nkom gave this charge in his keynote speech at the second edition of the Trade Commissioners’ Summit co-hosted by Afreximbank and the Globalafri Diplomat in Abuja.

The event brought together commercial attaches, diplomats, development partners, captains of industry and commissioners for commerce from different states to deliberate and explore areas of cooperation between the international community and Nigeria’s subnationals.

Speaking on the topic, ‘The Role of State Governments and the Opportunities Available for Development of Critical Minerals’, the Director General, who was represented by Barr. Yakubu Yahuza Muri, Director of M&C at the agency, said  although mineral resources are vested in the Federal Government, successful mineral development depends heavily on state-level participation, because they provide security coordination, local economic planning and workforce development.

He noted that countries no longer compete alone. “Investors now compare states, provinces, regions, economic corridors”, he said, adding, “The states that provide ease of doing business, infrastructure readiness, skilled labour, community stability and policy consistency become choice destinations for investors.”

He said the role of State Governments is not to administer mineral titles, but to create the conditions under which those sovereign assets are transformed into jobs, infrastructure, industrialisation, community development and sustainable prosperity.

Also speaking, the Comptroller General of Customs, Dr. Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, who was represented by MM Nuhu, Deputy Comptroller Trade Facilitation unit T&T Dept, commended the organisers for creating a platform that brings together key stakeholders committed to advancing trade, investment, and economic cooperation across Nigeria and beyond.

“At a time when nations are increasingly interconnected through trade and commerce, forums such as this provide valuable opportunities for dialogue, partnership, and the exchange of ideas that can drive sustainable economic growth”, he added.

The Afreximbank team comprising Al Amin Ishaq and Ugonna Nwankwo, spoke on African Trade Gateway, the institution’s flagship digital ecosystem that accelerates growth and connects stakeholders across Africa’s value chains, thereby promoting competitiveness in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) marketplace.

Earlier in his welcome address, Globalafri Diplomat’s publisher, Sòókò Deji Ajomale-McWord spoke on the need to expose subnationals to international opportunities, in order to aid their pursuit of development and attract trade and investments partners, especially now that the country is making moves to decentralise legislative powers in critical sectors that impact development at regional and state levels.

While encouraging commercial attaches and development partners to broaden their engagement with Nigeria beyond Abuja and Lagos, he said, “Our states and regions are open for business.”

Sòókò Deji restated the Globalafri Diplomat’s commitment to deepening subnational diplomacy, promising that the firm will continue the dialogue in different forms and bolster collaborative efforts aimed at advancing development across Nigerian states.

The event also featured presentations by  state Commissioners for commerce/trade where they pitched trade and investment opportunities in their states to development partners, trade offices and commercial attaches.

Highlights of the event was the unveiling of ‘Goal for Trade’, a sports diplomacy soccer engagement conceptualised to bring together stakeholders across international trade value chain, in a recreational atmosphere.