The North-West Development Commission (NWDC) and the Hadejia Jama’are River Basin Development Authority (HJRBDA) have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at transforming agricultural productivity across the North-West region.
The collaboration was formalized on Wednesday during a courtesy visit by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NWDC, Professor Shehu Abdullahi Ma’aji, to the HJRBDA headquarters in Kano. He was received by the Managing Director of HJRBDA, Engr. Rabiu Suleiman Bichi, alongside the Executive Director of Finance, Musa Ilyasu Kwankwaso, and other management officials.
During the meeting, Professor Ma’aji briefed the HJRBDA management on the Commission’s mandate and sought access to arable lands to attract investors and promote large-scale agricultural development across the region.
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Engr. Bichi welcomed the initiative, describing it as timely and promising. He noted that Kano and Jigawa states alone possess over 2.4 million cubic meters of water reserves and 2.1 million hectares of arable land, with HJRBDA directly managing 22,000 hectares.
He further outlined ongoing interventions by the Authority, including greenhouse farming training for over 1,000 youths, deployment of 500 youth extension workers, installation of industrial boreholes, and introduction of drip irrigation and smart farming technologies.
Both agencies agreed to develop a formal framework for collaboration to facilitate investor engagement, technology transfer, and sustainable agricultural development in the North-West.
