Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has told the acting United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr David Green that his State is eager to explore opportunities in various sectors such as education, health, Agriculture and environment among others for sustainable human capital development.
The Governor gave this indication when he granted audience to the US Envoy at the Governor’s lodge in Abuja on Thursday.
He Specifically raised the issues around climate and environmental projects and Gombe’s innovative drive for alternate ways of raising finance and investment for new and existing projects with environmental benefits.
According to him, “Seeing you here today, I am filled with optimism and excitement about the possibilities that can emerge from our discussion. I firmly believe that by joining forces we can create lasting impact that will benefit the people of Gombe State and strengthen the bond of friendship between our nations”.
A joint effort to raise the first green bond at the sub-national level which aims to generate funds specifically for sustainable and environmentally friendly projects within Gombe state was discussed extensively.
By partnering with the US Embassy, Gombe aims to leverage expertise and resources to facilitate the successful issuance of this forest bond.
Inuwa Yahaya explained that with a population of over 3.8 million people and immense potential for growth and development, Gombe is desirous of more partnerships and collaboration across different sectors in the quest to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the citizens.
The rehabilitation of the Balanga dam also came to the fore. The partnership will focus on revitalizing the dam’s infrastructure and enhancing its operational efficiency.
The Governor also indicated that Gombe state, in conjunction with Outsource Global, is working towards fostering skill acquisition and capacity building programmes targeting youth displaced from conflict states within the North-East.
Additionally, the Governor of Gombe state is keen on fostering collaboration with other Northern Governors by initiating discussions at a regional level to address common challenges and identify collective solutions.
This collaborative approach aims to ensure that the states within the region can pool resources, share best practices, and tackle shared issues more effectively.
The Governor also brought the US Ambassador ad interim up to speed with development in other sectors of the economy and sought improved partnerships.
He said that his government will need more collaboration to ramp up its tree-planting campaign, and also in addressing over 200 monstrous gullies in the State.
He stressed that “Our administration launched the Gombe Goes Green (3G) initiative aimed at planting 4 million trees to combat desertification and deforestation, indicating that his government is working on issuing a green bond in order to raise financing for climate friendly projects”.
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