Katsina State Governor and Chairman of the Northwest Governors’ Forum, Governor Radda, has called for stronger cooperation among the seven Northwest states and international partners to tackle insecurity and unlock the region’s economic potential.
Governor Radda made the call in New York at a high-level side event on the Northwest Peace, Security, and Development Framework 2026–2030, held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
The event brought together Northwest governors, United Nations officials, development partners, financial institutions, investors, and civil society representatives.
Governor Radda said the framework reflects the collective commitment of the seven states to address challenges that cross state boundaries, particularly insecurity, poverty, unemployment, and displacement.
He stressed that security operations alone would not deliver lasting peace, arguing that they must be accompanied by jobs, investment, and economic opportunities.
“Security must be accompanied by opportunity. Stabilization must be accompanied by development,” Governor Radda said.
He urged development partners and financial institutions to support projects across the region, while calling on private investors to look beyond the security challenges and consider opportunities in agriculture, infrastructure, mining, trade, and human capital.
Governor Radda also said the success of the framework would ultimately be measured by improvements in the lives of communities, including safer communities, better livelihoods, and opportunities for young people and women.
The Director-General of the Northwest Governors’ Forum, Maryam Musa Yahaya, said the framework was developed after the seven states recognized that their shared challenges could not be addressed effectively in isolation.
Yahaya said the process began with the inaugural Northwest Peace and Security Summit in Katsina in June 2024 and later expanded to cover livelihoods, jobs, displacement, investment, and development.
With support from UNDP and other partners, consultations were held with governments, communities, civil society organizations, traditional institutions, women, and young people throughout 2025. All seven governors adopted the framework by March 2026.
Yahaya said the focus must now shift from planning to implementation, with communities at the center of the process.
“We are not in New York asking outsiders to solve our problems. Our invitation is much simpler: come and build with us,” she said.
United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed commended the governors for presenting a unified regional plan, saying stability in the Northwest has implications for Nigeria, West Africa, and the wider Sahel.
She also highlighted the region’s importance to Nigeria’s food supply, noting that the seven states accounted for about one-third of maize and nearly two-fifths of rice recorded during the main 2022/23 farming season.
Mohammed said the region’s agricultural base, livestock, mineral resources, trade corridors, and young population could attract greater investment if supported by infrastructure, electricity, skills, and market access.
She stressed that lasting stability would require more than security operations, pointing to trusted justice systems, functioning schools and health facilities, climate-resilient agriculture, and job creation.
The UN official urged the governors to identify an initial pipeline of projects and called on development finance institutions and investors to support project preparation, risk-sharing, and long-term financing.
She also proposed a community resilience and social action mechanism through which communities could help identify and implement projects such as feeder roads, classrooms, markets, and water facilities, with women and young people involved in setting priorities.
Mohammed pledged UN support for the regional initiative, saying, “The United Nations is with you.”
The Northwest Governors’ Forum said the New York engagement marks a shift from developing a common regional framework to mobilizing partnerships and financing for its implementation.
