Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani has announced that the Kaduna Smart City project is poised to attract $150 million in foreign investment and create 100,000 direct jobs.
Speaking to State House correspondents in Abuja after a condolence visit to Vice President Kashim Shettima following the recent flooding disaster in Maiduguri, Borno State, Governor Sani revealed that private investors have already shown interest in the project.
He noted that, in addition to the direct jobs, the initiative could generate up to 500,000 indirect employment opportunities.
Sani also highlighted a collaboration with Google, which has seen 5,000 women trained in the digital economy, expressing confidence that they would be among the beneficiaries of the Smart City scheme.
“We expect this project to create around 100,000 direct jobs, and potentially 500,000 indirect jobs. On top of this, we recently partnered with Google to train 5,000 women in the digital economy, many of whom will benefit from the Smart City initiative,” Sani said.
He added that the project is likely to attract $150 million in investment, building on the $350 million secured from Chinese companies in the past seven months, focusing on infrastructure, agriculture, and solid resources.
The Governor shared details of a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with Huawei Technologies during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s state visit to China.
The partnership is set to facilitate the development of Kaduna’s Smart City, which will focus on enhancing public services, healthcare, transportation, and security.
A joint committee between the state government and Huawei has been established to oversee the implementation of the project.
On his visit to Vice President Shettima, Governor Sani expressed his condolences over the flood disaster in Maiduguri, which has claimed over 100 lives.
Describing the event as a “tragedy,” he praised efforts by the Borno State and federal governments to assist affected communities.
Governor Sani also shared Kaduna’s experience with flood challenges, revealing that four bridges were damaged, cutting off access to 60 communities.
The state, he said, has been taking proactive measures to mitigate the impact of such disasters, including providing support for victims and raising public awareness about climate change.
He emphasised the importance of education and vigilance in addressing both natural and human-induced disasters.