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 for sustainable human capital development in various sectors such as education, health, agriculture, and the environment, among others.
This was the Governor’s indication when he granted the US Envoy an audience at the Governor’s lodge in Abuja on Thursday.
He specifically addressed climate and environmental projects, as well as Gombe’s innovative drive for new and existing projects with environmental benefits to raise finance and investment.
“Seeing you here today fills me with optimism and excitement about the possibilities that can emerge from our discussion,” he says. I am confident that by joining forces, we can make a long-lasting impact that will benefit the people of Gombe State and strengthen our friendship.”
A collaborative effort to raise the first sub-national green bond, with the goal of raising funds specifically for sustainable and environmentally friendly projects in Gombe state, was extensively discussed.
Gombe hopes to leverage expertise and resources by partnering with the US Embassy to facilitate the successful issuance of this forest bond.
Inuwa Yahaya explained that Gombe, with a population of over 3.8 million people and enormous potential for growth and development, is looking for more partnerships and collaboration across different sectors in order to meet the citizens’ yearnings and aspirations.
The rehabilitation of the Balanga dam was also brought to light. The collaboration will concentrate on revitalising the dam’s infrastructure and improving its operational efficiency.
The Governor also stated that Gombe state is working with Outsource Global to foster skill acquisition and capacity-building programmes for youth displaced from conflict states in the Northeast.
Furthermore, the Governor of Gombe state is eager to foster collaboration with other Northern Governors by initiating regional discussions to address common challenges and identify collective solutions.
This collaborative approach seeks to ensure that the region’s states can pool resources, share best practices, and address common issues more effectively.
The Governor also kept the US Ambassador ad interim up to date on economic developments in other sectors and sought to strengthen partnerships.
He stated that his government would require more collaboration to expand its tree-planting campaign and to address the State’s over 200 monstrous gullies.
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.