KEY POINTS
• Seven Northwest governors commit to a shared peace, security and development agenda for 2026 to 2030.
• Governors seek international partnerships, development finance and responsible private investment to implement the regional framework.
• Priority areas include agriculture, livestock, renewable energy, infrastructure, digital innovation, human capital and social services.
• UNDP says it will help develop investment ready opportunities and connect the region with potential partners and sources of capital.
MAIN STORY
The seven governors of Nigeria’s Northwest states have agreed to pursue a common regional development agenda aimed at strengthening peace, resilience and economic opportunity.
The commitment was made at a special event in New York organised by the Northwest Governors’ Forum (NWGF) in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on the margins of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly.
The governors called for stronger international partnerships, development finance and responsible investment to support implementation of the Northwest Peace, Security and Development Framework for 2026 to 2030.
The event brought together the seven governors, UN officials led by Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed, development partners, international financial institutions, private sector representatives, philanthropies and members of the diplomatic community.
The framework brings Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara under a common regional strategy for tackling insecurity and vulnerability while expanding jobs, livelihoods, essential services and economic opportunities.
The region, which is home to more than 60 million people, plays a major role in Nigeria’s agriculture, domestic commerce and regional trade. Its economic potential also includes livestock, industry, solid minerals, renewable energy and digital innovation, alongside commercial corridors linking communities and markets within Nigeria and neighbouring countries.
However, the governors are also confronting interconnected challenges including insecurity, climate shocks, poverty, unemployment, displacement, limited access to essential services and pressure on livelihoods and public institutions.
They argued that these challenges cut across state boundaries and therefore require a coordinated regional response rather than isolated interventions by individual states.
The Northwest Peace, Security and Development Framework, adopted by the seven governors in March 2026, provides a common roadmap for addressing drivers of fragility while supporting inclusive and resilient economic growth.
The framework was developed with technical support from UNDP Nigeria and funding from the German Government through the Northwest Prevention Facility Project.
The New York engagement focused on how government resources, development assistance, development finance, philanthropic funding and responsible private investment could be combined around priority interventions.
The objective is to develop investment ready portfolios capable of delivering measurable results in peace, resilience, employment and inclusive economic growth.
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara said the regional approach was based on the need to connect security with economic investment.
“You cannot secure a region into prosperity. You have to invest in it.
“The Northwest Peace, Security and Development Framework gives the seven states a shared platform to connect peace, resilience and economic opportunity.
“This engagement at UNGA is about turning that commitment into partnerships, financing and action,” Lawal said.
UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed commended the governors for presenting a unified regional position through a common framework.
“Security operations are necessary, but they can only take us so far. There is no peace without development,” she said.
The framework builds on the inaugural Northwest Peace and Security Summit held in 2024 and subsequent efforts to strengthen the Northwest Governors’ Forum Secretariat as a platform for sustained cooperation among the seven states.
UNDP said it would support implementation by helping strengthen policy and institutional capacity, improve coordination across the states, develop investment ready opportunities and connect regional priorities with development partners, financial institutions and responsible private capital.
“Peace cannot be built on security alone. It is built when people have a stake in their future: when young people can find work, businesses can grow, communities can withstand shocks and institutions can deliver.
“UNDP is helping turn that political commitment into a pipeline of practical, investable solutions, and we are connecting Northwest Nigeria with the partners and capital needed to deliver on these commitments,” UNDP Associate Administrator Haoliang Xu said.
THE ISSUES
- The regional framework reflects a shift from treating insecurity primarily as a security problem to linking peace with economic opportunity, livelihoods, essential services and institutional capacity.
- The governors are seeking to combine different sources of financing rather than relying solely on government resources. The proposed approach brings together development assistance, development finance, philanthropy and responsible private investment around identified priorities.
- The Northwest’s economic potential is closely tied to sectors such as agriculture, livestock, renewable energy, trade and digital innovation. Investment in these areas is being presented as part of the wider effort to create jobs, strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability.
- The regional approach also recognises that insecurity, displacement, climate shocks and pressure on public institutions can affect several states at the same time. Coordinating policies and investments across the seven states is therefore central to the framework.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“This engagement at UNGA is about turning that commitment into partnerships, financing and action,” – Dauda Lawal, Governor of Zamfara.
“Security operations are necessary, but they can only take us so far. There is no peace without development,” – Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary General.
“Peace cannot be built on security alone. It is built when people have a stake in their future: when young people can find work, businesses can grow, communities can withstand shocks and institutions can deliver.” – Haoliang Xu, UNDP Associate Administrator.
WHAT’S NEXT
UNDP will support the seven states in strengthening institutional capacity and coordination, developing investment ready opportunities and connecting the regional priorities with development partners, financial institutions and responsible private capital.
BOTTOM LINE
The Northwest governors are seeking to turn their shared peace and development framework into funded projects that link security with jobs, resilience and economic opportunity.
