The federal government has charged states to focus on providing a conducive environment for investors to come in, stating that successful mineral development depends heavily on state-level participation as providers of security coordination, local economic planning and workforce development.

Giving the charge in his keynote address at the second Trade Commissioners’ Summit, co-hosted by Afreximbank and the Globalafri Diplomat in Abuja, the Director-General of Nigeria Mining Cadastral, Obadiah Nkom, noted that countries no longer compete alone.

Nkom, speaking on “The Role of State Governments and the Opportunities Available for Development of Critical Minerals,” stated that “investors now compare states, provinces, regions, economic corridors.” According to him, “states that provide ease of doing business, infrastructure readiness, skilled labour, community stability and policy consistency become choice destinations for investors.”

According to Nkom, who was represented by Yakubu Muri from the agency, 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 Adeniyi, commended the organisers for creating a platform that brings together key stakeholders committed to advancing trade, investment, and economic cooperation across Nigeria and beyond.

Represented by the Customs Deputy Comptroller, Trade Facilitation Unit, T&T Dept, Muhammed Nuhu, Adeniyi noted that at a time nations are increasingly interconnected through trade and commerce, such fora “provide valuable opportunities for dialogue, partnership, and the exchange of ideas that can drive sustainable economic growth.”

Meanwhile, the Afreximbank team, comprising Al Amin Ishaq and Ugonna Nwankwo, said the African Trade Gateway, which is the institution’s flagship digital ecosystem that accelerates growth and connects stakeholders across Africa’s value chains, promotes competitiveness in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) marketplace.

Earlier, Globalafri Diplomat’s publisher, Sòókò Ajomale-McWord, spoke on the need to expose sub-nationals to international opportunities to aid their pursuit of development and attract trade and investment partners, especially now that Nigeria 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, “states and regions are open for business.”

Sòókò 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.