Northern leaders at the Arewa Consultative Forum‘s 25th Anniversary celebration in Kaduna have agreed on how to chart a better future for the region and end its backwardness. The BoT chairman noted that the ACF has created platforms where experts could mentor young entrepreneurs and guide innovative projects.

Northern elders, political leaders, and cultural figures has call for bold solutions to insecurity and development challenges across the region. These was the center message at the 25th anniversary of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) in Kaduna.

Opening the session, ACF’s Board of Trustees Chairman, Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, emphasized the need for modern development models that empower youth and reduce inequality. A former chief of army staff lt Gen Tukur Buratai (rtd), said the Forum’s 25-year milestone was a moment to assess both past progress and future challenges.

Buratai who served as chairman of the session noted that the event’s focus, on youth under the theme “Creative Economy: Engaging the Youth” was critical to reversing the North’s development deficits.

A major part of the anniversary component was a high-level roundtable on “Tourism for Security,” chaired by the Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa. Representatives of Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, and the Chief of Defence Staff also spoke at the event. They called for national unity to boost Tourism as a means of addressing insecurity in the north and across Nigeria