Vice President Kashim Shettima has said the economic reforms introduced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu are beginning to yield positive results, assuring Nigerians that the administration’s difficult policy decisions are laying a solid foundation for sustainable economic growth and increased investment.

Shettima made the remarks on Wednesday while declaring open the Jigawa State Economic and Investment Summit (J-INVEST 2026) at the Banquet Hall of the Government House in Dutse.

He acknowledged that the reforms came with initial challenges and sacrifices but insisted they were necessary to reposition the nation’s economy and restore investor confidence.

“We are taking difficult but necessary decisions to place our economy on the path of sustainable growth. Those choices have required sacrifice, but they are the right choices,” the Vice President said.

According to him, key reforms, including the Business Facilitation Act, foreign exchange liberalisation and measures to improve the ease of doing business, have enhanced transparency and strengthened Nigeria’s appeal to both local and foreign investors.

He added that the ongoing reforms are being complemented by investment promotion initiatives across the country aimed at attracting private capital, creating jobs and accelerating economic diversification.

Shettima also described the Electricity Act 2023 as one of the landmark reforms of the Tinubu administration, noting that it has empowered states to license, generate, transmit and distribute electricity, thereby opening new opportunities for industrial development and private sector investment.

He stressed that Nigeria’s economic prosperity would depend largely on the ability of individual states to harness their comparative advantages.

“The strength of our federation is measured not by the wealth of the centre alone, but by the awakening of its constituent parts,” he said.

“A federation truly flourishes because every state discovers what it can become through the full realisation of its own economic potential.”

The Vice President commended the Jigawa State Government for hosting the investment summit, describing it as a strategic platform for showcasing the state’s vast economic potential.

He particularly praised Jigawa’s contribution to Nigeria’s wheat production, noting that the state accounted for nearly 40 per cent of the country’s total wheat output during the last farming season.

“That is no ordinary achievement,” he said, while urging stakeholders to improve productivity, noting that Nigeria’s average wheat yield of 1.5 metric tonnes per hectare remains below the levels recorded in countries such as Ethiopia and South Africa.

Earlier, Governor Umar Namadi said the summit was conceived to transform Jigawa’s abundant resources into bankable investment opportunities capable of stimulating economic growth and creating jobs.

“This summit is designed as a working platform to move us beyond aspiration to disciplined execution,” the governor said.

Namadi disclosed that Jigawa offers significant investment opportunities in agriculture, energy, manufacturing, healthcare and infrastructure. He added that the state has facilitated 64 investments across critical sectors over the past three years.