Borno State governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum has urged Nigeria’s business leaders and private institutions to invest in the state’s recovery from insurgency, help displaced families rebuild their livelihoods, and create jobs for young people.
Zulum made the call on Thursday at the opening of a two-day Borno State Durable Solutions to Internal Displacement Private Sector Roundtable at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Lagos.
The meeting, themed “Mobilising Private Capital for Durable Solutions and Sustainable Development”, was attended by senior government officials, corporate leaders, business executives, development partners, philanthropies, and other stakeholders in the sector.
The governor, represented by his deputy, Hon. Usman Kadafur, Zulum, asked companies and private institutions to support resettled communities, partner with vocational institutions and invest in businesses that could sustain themselves. He called for business commitments with clear timelines and measurable results.
“A camp cannot become a permanent address. And dependence cannot be the inheritance we pass from one generation to another,” Zulum said.
Zulum thanked humanitarian organisations for saving lives during the crisis, saying lasting recovery would require families to earn a living, obtain essential services and regain their independence.
He said Borno’s 25-year Development framework aims to develop the state into a secure, competitive agribusiness and commercial hub through investment in people, agriculture, health, environmental sustainability and regional trade.
He stressed that moving a family out of a camp did not, on its own, resolve displacement. “We have learned that closing a camp is not the same thing as ending displacement,” he added.
Governor Babagana Zulum cited Monguno, where the state government, the United Nations Development Programme, the Federal Government, Germany and other partners supported the provision of 1,900 permanent homes and semi-permanent shelters, alongside 375 solar streetlights.
About 4,000 people received grants, technical and vocational training, start-up packages and agricultural inputs. Women made up 40 per cent of the beneficiaries. The programme also covered water, energy, markets, essential services, safety and social cohesion.
“Housing alone is not resettlement. Housing plus livelihoods, education, healthcare, security, infrastructure and economic opportunity is what turns a settlement into a community,” he said.
On education, the Governor said the administration had built 104 new schools and rehabilitated 2,931 classrooms and related facilities by December 2025. School enrolment had also risen above 1.8 million children, while the estimated number of out-of-school children had fallen below 800,000.
He said about 3,000 young people also graduated from nine vocational enterprise institutes and centres across the state earlier in 2026. They received tools, starter packs and entrepreneurship support to help them put their training to use.
“I am therefore not asking you to choose between conscience and commerce. I am asking you to recognise that, in Borno, conscience and commerce can reinforce one another,” he said.
The Governor asked companies to direct their corporate social responsibility spending towards projects that would help communities become self-sufficient. These could include schools, vocational centres, primary healthcare facilities, water systems and support for women and youth entrepreneurs.
“I therefore propose that this roundtable must not end with photographs and communiqués.”
The Governor urged business leaders to help displaced families become homeowners, farmers, employees and entrepreneurs, while opening up employment and business opportunities for young people vulnerable to violent recruitment.
In their separate remarks, acting Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dr Babagana Mustapha Malumbe, and Chief Adviser to the Governor on Sustainable Development, Partnership and Humanitarian Support, Dr Mairo Mandara, expressed Zulum’s administration’s readiness to provide a strong partnership and a level playing field for sustainable investment.
Leading business and financial institutions, as well as development partners, attended the roundtable, including the Dangote Group, First Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and the German Corporation.
The Borno State Government delegation at the roundtable also included Commissioners for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement; Finance; Information and Internal Security; Works and Housing; Special Advisers; Permanent Secretaries; and the Executive Secretary, Borno State Investment Promotion Agency (BOSIPA), among other government officials.
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