By Ado Salisu, Kano
The Commissioner, Kano State Ministry for Rural and Community Development, Dr. Abdulqadir Abdussalam, has led a high-level delegation on a working visit to the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the North-West Development Commission (NWDC), Professor Shehu Abdullahi Ma’aji, at the Commission’s headquarters in Kano.
The purpose of the visit was to formally seek a strategic partnership between the Kano State Government and the NWDC towards accelerating sustainable rural and community development in Kano State.
In his presentation, the Commissioner, unveiled the Ministry’s Integrated Sustainability Framework for Rural and Community Development.
He explained that the framework was built on a review of five major development instruments:International Framework: Alignment with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with the adoption of nine priority goals considered as critical enablers for human security at the rural level, including quality education, health and well-being, and water and sanitation.
National Framework: The National Development Plan, which aims to deliver basic necessities to the grassroots across the 774 Local Government Areas of the Federation, focusing on education, primary healthcare, agricultural development and rural infrastructure.
State Framework: Alignment with the Economic Blueprint 2023 and beyond and the State Development Plan, which places rural transformation at the core of inclusive growth.
Grassroots Needs Assessment: A one-year extensive field engagement covering 44 Local Government Areas and nearly 400 wards, involving traditional institutions, rural populace, youth associations and community stakeholders to identify long-standing infrastructure gaps and community needs.
The Commissioner noted that the Ministry prioritized underserved communities with critical deficits and expressed readiness to share data, personnel and community structures with the NWDC to ensure interventions reach the most vulnerable.
Responding, the Managing Director/CEO, Professor Shehu Abdullahi Ma’aji, thanked the Commissioner for the visit and commended the Ministry for its methodical, data-driven approach to rural development.
Prof. Ma’aji reaffirmed the Commission’s mandate, established under the NWDC Establishment Act 2024 signed by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to catalyze socio-economic development, tackle poverty, insecurity, and infrastructure deficits across the seven North-West states of Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara.
He assured the delegation of the Commission’s commitment to partner with the Kano State Ministry for Rural and Community Development, stating:
“Rural development is at the heart of the NWDC mandate. We cannot develop the North-West without developing our rural communities. The framework you have presented aligns seamlessly with our strategic roadmap. We will partner with you to ensure that desired rural and community development is brought to our people across the seven states in a sustainable, equitable and impactful manner.”
The MD/CEO further promises to direct his technical team to immediately engage with the Ministry’s team to harmonize the needs assessment data with the Commission’s project pipeline and to develop a joint action plan for early implementation.
