NIGERIA: AMBASSADOR-LED INTERAGENCY TRIP TO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000901 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/W, INR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR KDEM NI SUBJECT: NIGERIA: AMBASSADOR-LED INTERAGENCY TRIP TO KATSINA, REFLECTIONS OF A MODEL STATE REF: LAGOS 00385 ABUJA 00000901 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (U) Summary. On May 15, 2009, the Ambassador led an interagency delegation of USG officials to Katsina State for meetings with Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema and key interlocutors from Katsina State as part of the Ambassador's Pilot Engagement with States (PES) Program. This is the second state (Bayelsa was first, reftel) in the PES program, which was created in response to the U.S. Mission's effort to respond to the need for more technical assistance and capacity building at the state-level. The PES program requires counterpart funding from the states. Governor Shema kicked off the three-hour plenary session with a presentation on the successes of his administration in Katsina, as well as several areas where the USG could support the state with capacity building and technical assistance in areas such as agriculture, health care, solid minerals development, education, transportation, legislative strengthening, and community development. The USG team responded by proposing several projects that would address the needs of the Katsina State Government (KSG) while also meeting Mission objectives. After the plenary session, USG and Katsina officials had a breakout session to further outline the proposed partnership. Overall, of the 29 Nigerian states that the Ambassador has visited thus far Katsina is one of the most organized and efficient, including being the only state with a balanced budget of USD 4 billion in interest income, and successful state-funded training programs for youth and teachers, along with free medical care and city transportation. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Governor Shema kicked off the PES meeting with a presentation on the progress the KSG has made under both his administration and President Yar'Adua's when he was governor. This leadership includes demonstrable successes in key areas, such as: education (16,000 university students on government-funded scholarships, 126 new secondary schools built, 265,000 youth trained and nearly 2000 teachers); health care (mobile health units serve as cost-effective ways to provide medical care throughout the state); economic development (several new roads; creation of youth enterprises that produce and sell chalk and paint using kaolin, a prominent mineral in the state); agriculture (improved irrigation, locally-produced fertilizer to replace expensive imports); and transportation (new commercial airport, subsidized interstate bus service). Katsina was the only state in Nigeria with a budget surplus in 2008 and a balanced budget this year in spite of low oil prices and the global financial crisis. The governor welcomed the proposed partnership with the U.S. Mission, which complements and enhances his own development initiatives. USG Programs Proposed -------------- ¶3. (U) Agricultural Development: USAIDOff presented the Governor and his team with programs to enhance cereal productivity and to improve agricultural trade and transport as part of the USG's Global Food Security Response. These programs would improve productivity, increase the income of farmers, and facilitate border crossing for agricultural products from Katsina State. Agricultural Attach then highlighted several Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) programs and suggested the governor nominate qualified individuals for the highly competitive exchange programs, and participate in efforts to improve agricultural data collection for analysis and decision making. The governor was very interested in expanding the existing USAID cereals program and finding the appropriate applicants for FAS exchange programs. The Ambassador also invited representatives from the Governor's Agriculture Development Committee to attend the U.S. Mission's capacity building event focused on agriculture, which she is hosting in Lagos June 9-10, 2009. ¶4. (U) Health and Disease Prevention: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director offered two training programs on avian and pandemic influenza containment and on field epidemiology and laboratory training. The KSG would be responsible for getting 25-30 people to the capital (Katsina) ABUJA 00000901 002.2 OF 002 for the training. CDC would provide trainers, materials and technical support. The governor responded immediately saying he was extremely interested in these programs and would cover the cost of getting participants to and from the training. USAIDOff then offered to scale up its existing fistula prevention and treatment program. However, the government seemed less interested in this program, which may be due to the $3 million the state would have to pay over the next three years. ¶5. (U) Education: Cultural Affairs Officer (CAO) talked about several exchange programs including the Hubert Humphrey program for mid-career professionals, the Education Advising Center, and the Fulbright Specialist Program, which would greatly assist the newly commissioned Umaru Musa Yar'Adua University, one of the most modern and equipped in Nigeria. The governor led the Ambassador, CAO and Staff Aide on a tour of the science and technology university after the PES meetings. The school can compete with any U.S. university in terms of first class equipment for all the hard sciences. The governor and vice chancellor of the university were very interested in the USG's proposed projects and agreed to find candidates for the exchange programs. The governor was particularly interested in ICT and curriculum development for the nascent university as well as partnerships with U.S. universities. ¶6. (U) Community Development: Officers from the Office of Security Cooperation (OSC) presented several community development projects that would support the government's development efforts, including medical waste incinerators at hospitals, boreholes in priority areas identified by the KSG, and support to the governor's mobile clinics with ambulances, tents and medical supplies. These projects were very well received by the Katsina delegation and the bulk of the costs would be paid by OSC. ¶7. (U) Solid Minerals Development: The Ambassador said she would share with the U.S. Commercial Service (USCS) director the governor's ambitions to expand solid minerals development in the state. She invited the Commissioner of Solid Minerals and other appropriate KSG representatives to U.S. Mission's Lagos agriculture event in June to meet with a visiting U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) delegation to further discuss the governor's plans in this area. ¶8. (SBU) Comment. Katsina State is clearly one of the best run in Nigeria where its resources are really being used in the social sector to help the people of the state. Real change began with the Yar'Adua administration and certainly has continued under Governor Shema (former state attorney general). There is great potential for the Mission's PES program. On the 2011 elections, there is clearly evidence that it is on the mind of the Governor and his team, as several billboards throughout the state had pictures of the Governor and President side-by-side already highlighting election events. End Comment. SANDERS