The Northern Elders Forum says northern Nigeria is sitting on 44 mineral resources spread across more than 500 identified locations that remain untapped despite their huge potential to drive economic growth.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Monday ahead of the Northern Nigeria Investment and Industrialisation Summit, NEF spokesperson, Prof. Abubakar Jiddere, said the NEF had mapped out agriculture, solid minerals, human resources, infrastructure, and industry as the five pillars for northern Nigeria’s renewal.
He said the North is blessed with “vast arable lands across 19 states, capable of feeding Africa.
“Solid minerals: 44 identified resources in over 500 locations, waiting to be harnessed,”
In addition, he said, the North possesses a dynamic youthful population—both skilled and unskilled—ready to contribute to development.
Infrastructure such as roads, railways, airports, dams, and energy potential, he stressed, are seeking integration, while emerging and existing enterprises hold the capacity to grow into regional industrial hubs.
Jiddere lamented the decline in the region’s economic productivity despite its rich endowments.
He recalled the era when agriculture, industry, and trade from the North were central to powering Nigeria’s economy in the 1960s, 70s, and early 80s.
“Our groundnut pyramids reached the skies; our cotton, hides, livestock, and solid minerals supported industries; and our leaders championed bold national infrastructure and industrial projects,” he said.
He noted that insecurity, underinvestment, and policy inconsistency had undermined progress in recent decades, leaving the region with what he described as a paradox.
“Over the years, new challenges have emerged—ranging from insecurity to underinvestment—that slowed the pace of progress. This has left us with a paradox: a land blessed with abundance, but a people yet to fully enjoy the rewards of that abundance. This summit is about turning that paradox into opportunity and ensuring that Northern Nigeria steps confidently into a new era of growth,” Jiddere stated.
On the enablers of growth, he highlighted education, healthcare, housing, and technology as critical foundations for sustainable progress.
“Northern Nigeria is not landlocked; it is land-linked—a strategic gateway to Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Benin, Mali, and the Central African Republic,” he added.
The forum also situated its vision within the historical background of industrialisation in the North. In the 1960s, the region’s agricultural sector was the backbone of Nigeria’s economy, with cotton, groundnuts, and tobacco driving industrial growth. The period saw the establishment of textile mills, cotton ginneries, and food processing plants.
The 1970s oil boom further spurred investment in infrastructure, enabling cities like Kano and Kaduna to emerge as industrial hubs for textiles, leather goods, and food processing.
By the 1980s, efforts extended into cement production and steel rolling, though challenges of poor infrastructure, corruption, and inconsistent policies began to stall momentum.
With vast untapped resources and a youthful population, Jiddere said the upcoming summit aims to chart a path to industrial renewal, positioning Northern Nigeria as a hub for investment, production, and regional trade.
