Gov. Mohammed Bago of Niger says the state will attract local and foreign direct investment for the development of rail transportation, cattle ranching and alternative energy.

Bago said this while interacting with newsmen at a world news conference in Abuja ahead of the state Green Economy Summit slated for Oct. 24 and 25.

He said his administration was resolved to develop valuable natural resources through the use of innovative practices in driving economic growth and prosperity.

He said the state government had banned mining in the state and would no longer allow those involved to operate even if they came with a licence from the Federal Government.

He expressed optimism that the summit would help in achieving the feats and transform the state into an enviable status.

He said the government discovered that most of the land currently occupied by bandits were not governed, adding that he would take over such land for vast agricultural purpose.

He said the state was procuring heavy duty equipment in readiness for the next planting season and would cultivate about 250,000 hectares of farmland in 2024.

The governor said he was clearing about 300,000 hectares of land, adding that in the next six months, the state would be planting about 10 million trees across the state.

He also said that the government had entered into agreement with some states in the southwestern part of the country on the stoppage of cattle movement to the South.

“We have agreed that cattle will no longer be transported to the South. They will stop at Mokwa where we are setting up a processing plant.

This, according to him, will process them before they are transported to the south.