This is contained in a statement jointly signed by the Senate Committee Chairman on NWDC, Sen. Babangida Hussaini and his House of Representatives counterpart, Rep. Sulaiman Abubakar respectively, in Abuja on Thursday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the summit, themed: “Advancing a Coordinated Regional Development Agenda for North-West Nigeria,” will hold at Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Conference Centre, Murtala Muhammad Square, Kaduna at 9:00 a.m.

According to the statement, the summit is designed to bring together key stakeholders from across the seven north-west states to reflect on the zone’s development challenges and align priorities for sustainable growth.

“The north-west faces complex and inter-connected challenges, ranging from insecurity and infrastructure gaps to youth unemployment and social development deficits.

“These issues cannot be addressed in silos. This summit provides a platform for honest dialogue, shared ownership and coordinated action,” it said.

Participants at the summit include: the North-West Governors’ Forum, federal and state government officials, members of the National Assembly, traditional and religious leaders, development partners and private sector players.

Others are: non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs), members of the academia, youth and women groups as well as representatives of the media.

The statement said that the summit would feature plenary sessions, technical discussions and sector-focused engagements to strengthen collaboration, improve policy coherence and support effective implementation of the commission’s mandate across the zone.

It further noted that outcomes from the summit would help guide NWDC’s programmes and interventions and foster stronger partnerships among stakeholders committed to the development of the zone.

NAN reports that development commissions were created by President Bola Tinubu to drive regional development.

(NAN)