State governments in Northern Nigeria should commit 40 percent of their annual budget as well as enacting law for the development of solid mineral resources to enhance infrastructure development in the region.

The communiqué issued from the first Northern Economic and Investment Summit (NEIS 2008) which ended last week in Abuja, also recommended that state governments should set up agro-based industries through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) programme.

The Summit which opened Monday, October 8, was declared open by President Umar Musa Yar' adua and was chaired by the United Nations' Under Secretary, Professor Ibrahim Gambari.

The communiqué signed by Suleiman Bello, Chairman, NEIS 2008, Planning Committee and Alhaji Rufai Mohammed, Executive Vice Chairman, Northbridge Investment & Trust Ltd said some of the far reaching recommendations of the summit include a one stop investment shops where states are to reform their Investment and Development institutions to make them investor-friendly.

The communiqué read: "State governments in the North should commit 40% of their annual budgets to education with special emphasis on mainstreaming the large number of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups.

"State Governments should facilitate capital and inputs to farmers, mechanize agriculture and set up agro-based industries through PPPs to process products, for local and International markets.

"State governments should enact appropriate laws to provide enabling environment in the Solid Minerals sector and develop infrastructural facilities such as roads, power, as well as provide capital-intensive equipment and technology through PPPs."

The communiqué also recommended that due to a large deficit in investment infrastructure in the region, PPP with local and international partners, should drive the immediate provision of critical infrastructure e.g. power, water, roads, etc to make the states of the region competitive.

Other recommendations are that state and local governments should encourage and support cottage industries (family businesses) through entrenched mentoring and networking to access information, technology and large industries to utilize their products.

It also recommended that State governments, NGOs, CBOs and other development partners should invest in political awareness and education and equally be a strong advocacy and mobilization of the people of the region to invest in the various financial instruments as a tool for wealth creation.