Kano and Jigawa state governments have disclosed their readiness to partner with the Republic of Serbia to establish a Joint Commission, to facilitate investment in agriculture, commerce and skills development for mutual benefit. Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano state and his Jigawa state counterpart, Governor Badaru Abubakar made this known during a banquet organized at the Government House in Kano, in honour of the Serbian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Djura Likar, who visited the State to meet members of the business community and attend the reunion of Yugoslavia Old Students Association of Nigeria.

A statement by his Director-General, Media and Publicity, Ameen Yassar quoted Ganduje saying, “Serbians constructed big infrastructural projects like the Gidan Murtala, Audu Bako Secretariat and the Kadawa Irrigation scheme which are still solid and living testimonies of our relationship. We, therefore, need to take further advantage of the expertise of the Serbians in technology and agriculture, to boost our economy. “We are ready for a synergy with the Serbians and me and the governor of Jigawa, have agreed to visit Serbia to discuss ways in which we can work with them to enhance agriculture, which is the mainstay of our economy. “Kano State has huge potentials for irrigation or lowland farming that are far under-tapped, and with closer cooperation with Serbians, the state would gain immense agricultural education and acquire new technologies for growth. “We will also work together to see how our youths can acquire technical skills so that we can fill our skills gap. We can no longer rely on our national curriculum because the way things are now, our universities are merely producing prospective jobless people with no skills,” Ganduje stated. On his part, Governor Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa state said his state would open its doors for relationship with Serbia in agriculture, especially livestock production, pointing out that he is keenly interested in promoting reproduction of small ruminants like goats, by women and youth in poor households in the State.

“Under our very successful empowerment programme, where we give out goats to poor women and widows, we want to explore how these poor people can produce milk to feed their malnourished children, and generally improve their income and standard of living,” he stressed. Earlier, the Serbian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Djura Likar said his country is proud to be associated with several projects in Nigeria and particularly in Kano, which are still functioning after decades of construction, urging people of the country to avail themselves of the great trade and other business opportunities in his country. “The Republic of Serbia offers first calls products and services in agricultural machinery and other inputs, mining, information technology and lots of others and there are lots of opportunities for our businessmen and women to harness. Our doors are open for genuine businesses from Nigeria to tap into our resources for mutual benefit,” the envoy stated.

SOURCE: VANGUARD