United Kingdom is to partner Nasarawa State government in the area of agriculture, mining, education and infrastructural development.
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, disclosed this when she paid a courtesy visit to Governor Abdullahi Sule, at the Government House, Lafia, the state capital.
She said the transformation achieved by the state in the area of agriculture, mining and education was very important to the government of UK, saying they were ready to use their expertise to partner with the state for its economic growth and development.
Catriona Laing explained that Nasarawa State has a very good potential for mining, unique posture and comparative advantage, especially with its proximity to Abuja.
Responding, Governor Abdullahi Sule said the state had developed a Public Private Partnership forum which has been a veritable tool to foster private sector investment in the state.
The governor said the state was committed to developing the agricultural sector through mechanised farming, saying soon the state would become major producer of rice and sugar in Africa.
He welcomed the collaboration idea between the government of UK and the state while addressing expressed optimism that the partnership would bring more development to the state.
Earlier, the Managing Director, Nasarawa State Investment Development Agency, Barrister Ibrahim Abdullahi said the state was experiencing an increase in its investment and was ranked among the top three investment states in Nigeria.
He said the development of the Nasarawa Economic Development Strategy (NEDS) under Governor Sule has improved transparency in governance, encouraging more donor partnerships geared towards the economic transformation of the State.
Aliyu Muraki