The Governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has announced that the state secured commitments on school feeding programmes, health interventions, and foreign investment opportunities during engagements at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA80) High-Level Week in New York.
In a statement released on Wednesday by his spokesperson, Sunusi Dawakin-Tofa, the governor explained that Kano’s participation in high-level meetings was aimed at drawing global attention to the state’s development priorities.
Governor Yusuf, who was represented by Emir Muhammad Sanusi II and the Director-General of Kan-Invest, Muhammad Halliru, said the discussions were focused on practical collaborations that would enhance education, health, and economic growth.
He revealed that talks were held with international partners, including Kenyan entrepreneur Wawira Njiru, founder of Food4Education, to facilitate access to the African Development Bank’s funding for school feeding initiatives.
“These engagements were an opportunity to strengthen existing relationships and to explore new partnerships that will bring tangible benefits to the people of Kano,” Yusuf said.
The Kano delegation also attended the Global Compact: Unstoppable Africa forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Goalkeepers Event, where they presented the state’s investment potential and highlighted pressing developmental needs.
According to the Governor, the meetings demonstrated his administration’s commitment to repositioning Kano as one of Nigeria’s leading investment hubs.
He disclosed that a five-year multi-sectoral investment strategic plan would soon be launched to attract investors and boost internally generated revenue.
“The plan is to open up Kano to investors through clear policies and a transparent framework. We want to assure our partners that Kano is ready and open for business,” he stated.
The governor further stressed that partnerships formed during the assembly were not limited to education and investment but also included health interventions targeted at vulnerable groups.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has separately announced plans to expand the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme to reach 50 million primary school pupils by 2026. National Programme Manager, Aderemi Adebowale, of the National Social Investment Programme Agency, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja that the scheme would be extended to cover pupils from primary one to six, as well as out-of-school children.
“We are working to include early years – primary 1 to 3, primary 4 to 6 – in the school feeding programme, and also out-of-school children, which we are handling step by step to integrate. So, by the year 2026, we are looking at feeding close to 50 million pupils in primary school in Nigeria,” Adebowale said.
Governor Yusuf maintained that the international partnerships secured in New York would complement such national efforts.
“We are aligning our initiatives with federal programmes while ensuring that Kano maximises global opportunities for growth and development,” he added.
