By; Bldr. ISHAQ MSANI
The sustain manifesto has laid emphasis to consolidate and continue on the unprecedented infrastructure upgrade program of the previous administration, and with a view to sustain the comprehensive renewal and regeneration of critical infrastructure to enhance economic growth and public welfare.
As such, the current dispensation of Kaduna state under Governor Mal. Uba Sani’s watch is expected to brings forth immense potential for the continuous implementation of the long-term Kaduna State Infrastructure Master plan (KADIMP), reinvigorating the socio-economic and infrastructural gap; such as the Urban Renewal Programme, prioritizing the achievement of the master plans for Kaduna, Kafanchan and Zaria metropolitan authorities.
In addendum, accelerated rural development, Implementing the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, Power Supply expansion, sustainable environmental infrastructure, medium- to low-cost housing estates construction, Dams construction, Road networks rehabilitation, constructions and reconstructions, modern markets development, intra-state, federal and international collaborations, public-private partnership model strengthening and bolstering indigenous stakeholders involvement in critical projects and local patronage of contractors and consultants; are key anticipations from this new Kaduna state government.
In the light of the foregoing, to effectively tap into the infrastructural opportunities, the Kaduna state government must prioritize international collaboration, private sector growth, encourage entrepreneurship, empowerment and job-creating programmes, promote vocational skills, offer technical and most notably through the Kaduna Startup Entrepreneurship Programme (KADSTEP) and the Kaduna Artisan Development Academy (KADAT) as captured in the sustain manifesto, ease of doing business enhancement, boost trade and investment, , and enhanced transparency.
In view of the above, the need to sustain Kaduna to its pride of place as a competitive business and industrial hub with attendant benefits to the citizens through increased job creation, poverty reduction and wealth spread is necessary more than ever before, especially as Kaduna state’s population growth increases next to only mega cities as Kano and Lagos with over 6.1million as per 2006 census, with incremental rise expected to reach 8.1 million in 2016, 8.4 million by 2018, and with further rise to 12.96 million by 2050.
What is the way forward? The answer to this pertinent question is the very reason for this memo to His Excellency, the executive Governor of Kaduna state, to get the sustain Kaduna progress on track!
Transport infrastructure, more laudable investment should be put in placed with special focus be paid to creating access roads to mining sites, agricultural hubs and other industrial clusters in the state to boost economic activities for increased job creation for the teeming youth population. Private sector investments are also needed to pave all the State roads and expand existing paved roads where necessary with keen consideration on rural road networks to facilitate easy movement of farm produce.
Housing sector, Kaduna apparently has a huge housing deficit and to address this phenomenon, the Government should open up new layouts across the LGAs of the State and provide the needed infrastructure to encourage the private sector to provide affordable housing for people. Federal Government’s Mass Housing Projects in States and private sector investments is needed most notably the 5,000 housing units target annually that is required to bridge the housing deficit in the state.
Information & Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure leverage, where young entrepreneurs can tap into e-commerce platforms, online marketplaces, and digital payment systems, enabling them to reach a broader customer base and improve their business viability. Furthermore, the government can foster innovation and entrepreneurship in the ICT sector by creating incubation centres, providing seed funding for tech startups, and supporting research and development initiatives. Embracing ICT as an economic enabler will not only create employment opportunities but also position Kaduna as a hub for technological innovation and digital transformation
Moreover, the educational infrastructure is critical in view of the number of out of- school children and the population growth of the State; the number of the existing schools and classroom blocks need to be doubled to adequately cater for the school age children. The schools need to be evenly spread across the political zones as well as wards in the State to ensure improved access to children of school age irrespective of their background.
Furthermore, electricity and internet as well as modern learning gadgets should be provided in these schools to enhance learning. Similarly, all the existing tertiary institutions should be upgraded, expanded and equipped to provide the human capital needed in the State and its environs. It is expected that the private sector is needed to complement the efforts of the State Government in the provision of the required diverse educational infrastructure to address the school infrastructure in the State.
In addition, health infrastructure at both primary and Secondary needs more investment to address maternal mortality and improved health centers. The Water Boreholes Dams Treatment Plans/ water works need an overhaul and to rebuild the collapsed drainages and ensure that all public places including markets, schools, hospitals, etc, have decent toilets and waste disposal facilities in the medium-term. In the long run, all the urban and rural areas are to be properly drained and waste disposal facilities, including VIP toilets to be made available in public places.
Agriculture Infrastructure is one of the mainstays of the State and the major growth drivers.
Significantly, agricultural infrastructure is crucial most notably as there are inadequate rural road networks to move farm produce from the farm gate to the market. Also, there are limited silos and cold rooms or even processing centres for effective storage and processing of farm produce which often leads to huge post-harvest losses. Currently, there is only one silo in the State and is owned by the Federal Government. The already started Negotiations to transfer the ownership of this silo to the State is crucial more than ever before. In addition, access roads should be handled under road infrastructure while dam constructions and renovation should be handled under water infrastructure. Agriculture infrastructure shall, therefore, be limited to provision of silos, cold rooms and processing centres.
Financially, significant fiscal resources are required to bridge the large infrastructure needs in Kaduna State which was coined at a minimum total projected expenditures for core infrastructure development interventions in key sectors of transportation, education, health, water and sanitation, and agriculture which amounts to over N20 trillion over the Plan horizon covering 2018 – 2050 as captured in the Kaduna State Infrastructure Master plan.
Conversely, it is obvious that Kaduna State government does not have the huge resources required to implement and operate the proposed infrastructure development projects. Therefore, the government needs to tow international best practice line of exploring various non-budgetary financing options.
Globally, there are about four main options available for financing infrastructure projects. These include: Budget (Public current accounts); Public debt; Public Private Partnership (PPPs) and Other Public Sources (e.g., the Sovereign Wealth Fund, public pension funds). While the traditional budget approach has been what is used in the past for infrastructure development, the State now need to explore all other financing options in implementing the existing infrastructure gap in the State.
Your excellency Sir, the important demographic dividends Kaduna State has high potential to benefit from its youth bulge. With over 54 per cent of the population aged 15-64 years, the State has large youthful population that should be put to good use rather considering it a liability as a result of being a dependency burden. But to make this an opportunity, efficient infrastructure needs to be developed for this youthful population to ensure they are gainfully engaged for productive socioeconomic activities.
Therefore, the much-needed anticipation is that the new administration shall drive the completion of abandoned projects across the state comprising roads, waterways, bridges, initiate major link to market projects which possess element of value generation, wealth creation and employment generations capable of unlocking new and expansive economic frontiers. Deploy technical and financial resources into collaborations with skill acquisition platforms and training organisations to produce greater volume of skilled manpower, guided partnerships with bodies charged with small-holder financing, improving accessibility to asset acquisition and enhancing operational capacity for semi-processing, production and processing and most importantly provide input and fill any gaps relating to rapid completion of on-going projects handled by various MDAs across the state in form of task-based interventions.
In conclusion, His excellency our dynamic Governor per excellence; Sen Mal Uba Sani has an opportunity to stimulate socio-political and economic growth, youth capital development, enhance Socio-economic and Political Considerations through infrastructural development, coupled with State Government’s efforts to Increase Private Sector Participation, Institutional Framework for Implementation and Delivery, M&E Framework, SMART Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Scale up the Primary level data Collection like PPP Financing, Implementation Progress & Results Delivery, Performance Measurement and Strategic Partnerships. This administration under Sen Mal Uba Sani’s captainship, is my hope that it can pave the way for a prosperous and inclusive future of our beloved state.
Bldr. Ishaq Msani, a university lecturer, construction manager and public affairs analyst writes from Zaria and can be reach via ishaqsanie@gmail.com
