BY AHMED TUKUR, LAFIA – As part of Governor Abdullahi Sule’s vision of revitalizing the economy of the state leveraging on private sector expertise and capabilities, the Nasarawa State Executive Council has approved the ratification of five signature projects to be delivered through Public Private Partnerships.
A statement by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nasarawa Investment and Development Agency, Ibrahim A. Abdulahi, said that the approval is a demonstration of confidence in the private sector by the State Executive Council by the government and puts to test the state’s new Public Private Partnership Framework under the Nasarawa Investment & Development Agency Law (NASIDA Law).
The approved projects which cut across key sectors of the state’s economy include; Transport, Housing, Technology and Health.
The Nasarawa Technology Village which is in partnership with ABS Blueprint and Modern Shelter, as well as their IT partners, is an integrated PPP project with housing, technology centers and commercial areas all embedded. It is expected that it would foster the development of core IT skills and capabilities in the State and position it as a center of technology excellence in the country, servicing local and international markets.
Similarly, Abdullahi said that the Nasarawa Transport Company which is to be private sector driven is designed to facilitate trade and investment in Nasarawa State by supporting the efficient movement of goods and people across locations of surplus to areas of need.
It is also a critical requirement in ensuring the optimization of modern bus terminals that are currently been completed in the State.
The expectation is that the Transport Company will innovatively tackle the challenge in the existing transport system and support improvements in income level of the populace, create employment, improve security, and ensure overall improvement in the standard of living in the State.
In the same vein, the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital which has been a key healthcare delivery centre for the state over the years is expected to achieve a more effective and efficient service delivery thus, the Government decided to concession the operations and maintenance of three key services within the hospital namely; Radiology, Laboratory, and Mortuary departments.
The concession is expected to increase private sector investment in the departments, improve the quality of service, and support overall improvements in the delivery of quality health care.
Abdullahi said this has become more important in a COVID-19 era, where health care systems have been stretched beyond their limits.
He further said; “This concession is therefore one of the proactive measures by the State to ramp up the capacity of the State’s key tertiary health institution”.
