Nigeria plans to revive industries in its north region

Kano, the main economic hub of northern Nigeria has continued to bear the brunt of Boko Haram insurgency.

Lack of power, corruption and cheap Chinese imports are also other factors that have seriously weighed down the once thriving region.

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari now wants to revive the economy in this part of the country and businessmen in the region are eagerly waiting for the revival plan from the government.

Textile and leather industries were once the main stay of the region’s economy but have been surpassed by the oil sector over time.

“Our difficulties are normally on the government policies, you know, like the incentives they give to all exporters has been suspended and it’s creating a lot of problem for all exporters. You know, we are looking at how that can be solved because it affects our capacity to employ more people and also to increase our production because the initial reason why the incentive was put in place is to expand our export,” Lawan Sule Garo, Chairman of the Leather Council, Kano.

But despite talk of building up industries outside the oil sector, little has happened since Buhari got elected in March 2015 on a ticket to fix the West African nation hit by mismanagement and graft.

Several unemployed youth have been recruited by the Islamist militants who have continuously launched attacks that have claimed the lives of thousands of people in the region.

It’s not the first time the government has made plans to revive these companies but locals remain optimistic that this time the plan will be implemented.