The Niger State Government has intensified moves to unlock crude oil deposits in the Bida Basin, calling on the Dangote Group and other private investors to key into the emerging energy opportunity.
Speaking during a fireside session on the Dangote Special Day at the recently concluded Niger National Trade Fair in Minna, the Commissioner for Trade, Investment, Industry and Private Sector Development, Hon. Aminu Suleiman Takuma, said the state was ready to partner investors under a Joint Venture-Public Private Partnership (JV-PPP) framework.
Takuma disclosed that the government, through its One-Stop-Shop investment model, is creating an enabling environment to attract major players into crude oil exploration while maintaining only a minimal stake in the venture.
He praised the Dangote Group for its massive industrialisation efforts, particularly the construction of what he described as the world’s largest single-train refinery, adding that Niger State remains open to business and committed to investor-friendly reforms.
In her remarks, the Regional Director and Senior Adviser to Aliko Dangote, Fatima Wali Abdurrahman, described the Dangote Group as a natural partner to Niger State, citing the company’s substantial investment in rice processing in Wushishi.
She commended Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago for introducing policies designed to boost economic growth and industrial development, assuring that the conglomerate remains committed to strengthening its partnership with the state.
Top government officials, including commissioners for Homeland Security and Agriculture and Food Security, attended the session, alongside the representative of the Emir of Minna, Dr. Umar Bakai.
The Dangote Group also emerged as the major sponsor of the trade fair, underscoring its expanding footprint in Niger State’s economic development agenda.
