The Kebbi State Government says it is intensifying efforts to boost international partnerships with firms in the United Kingdom in developing digital finance for public servants and micro-financing for Medium and Small Business Entrepreneurs (MSMEs) in the state.
Alhaji Bello Ibrahim-Nahaliku (FCNA), the Kebbi State Accountant General, disclosed this at the end of a week-long strategic meeting on Digital Finance and Strategic Leadership held in London, the UK.
The meeting was anchored by the Microfinance Association, London, and the Financial Inclusion Advocacy Centre, Kent, all in the United Kingdom (UK).
He reiterated the commitment of the state government to boosting international partnerships with firms in the United Kingdom towards achieving digital finance as well as financial inclusion.
In his presentation, the State Accountant General, who is also the Amirul Zoramawa, unveiled the giant strides of Kebbi State Government, under the amiable leadership of His Excellency, Comrade Dr Nasir Idris (FCNA) Kauran Gwandu, to open a new leave in the financial architecture of the state.
Ibrahim-Nahaliku said the governor had continued to advocate and leverage the services of both local and international firms and partnerships in areas of capacity development, infrastructure investments, agricultural development, healthcare services, tourism, education, empowerment, humanitarian services, and information and communication technology, among others.
He noted with delight that visits of the state governor, Kauran Gwandu and other government officials to several countries had started yielding positive results through the influx of investments by several international partners into the state.
The accountant general sighted examples of Qatar Foundation, Spain Investors, the Indonesian Government, and Brazilian multi-national companies among others.
According to him, once the partnerships are finalised, all tiers of government in the state, and even the private sector stand to benefit and build their capacities in various areas of the digital world.
The Special Adviser to Kebbi State Governor on International Donor Agencies, Hon. Usman Buhari Ali Gwandu, who is part of the state government officials said that the partnership with the UK firms was also considering vast areas of digital finance development, payment systems, and digital micro-financing for MSMEs.
The special adviser assured that the partnership would not just improve the indices of Kebbi State on the digital map, but other economic opportunities with several partners were all in consideration and would be fully exploited for the benefit of the Kebbi people.
He assured that the Kebbi State Donor Agencies Coordination Office would also improve collaborations with the Kebbi State Investment Promotion Agency towards creating partnerships and investment platforms.
These investment platforms, he said, would not be just in infrastructural facilities, but also for investments in human capacity development and technology advancement, “which are paramount in economic empowerment and prosperity.”
