Khalil Nur Khalil graduated with a First Class in Economics from the Eastern Mediterranean University, Cyprus. He joined Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency (KADIPA) as a youth corps member and at 28, he was appointed by Governor Nasir El-Rufai to head the agency, just recently. In this interview, he speaks about his journey and how this opportunity will inspire other youths.
As the new head of KADIPA, what are your plans for the agency?
We are trying to ensure that KADIPA becomes a world-class investment promotion agency, we want to be able to see Kaduna State put on the global map. It’s just not enough for us to market ourselves nationally, we want to go international without losing the local touch. So, we will continue to promote Kaduna State to get domestic direct investment but at the same time, see how we can leverage 21st century skills and outlook in terms of our vision and how to integrate Kaduna into the global economy in the next 100 years or so.
Many people see the business industry as driven largely by the elderly, as a young executive secretary, how do you intend to bridge the gap between the old and young?
We are somewhat transitioning to a knowledge-based economy and part of that is the three pillars; there is the digital economy, value added economic activities across priority sectors and also infrastructural development. What we want to do for young people is to leverage the digital economy. So, how we bridge this gap is we want to turn Kaduna State into the technology hub in northern Nigeria if not the whole of Africa in the next 10 years. We have the likes of IHS who have gone around the state to figure out blind spots and to put up all the mast and telecom towers that will provide a minimum of 3G network services across the state. There are fibre-optics being laid across the state, we have signed an MoU with Airtel to provide a minimum of 3G services across the state. Once we draw these young guys in, they will be able to provide services to all the so-called elderly industrialists to add value to their own economic activities.
We are moving into the 21st century, we cannot do anything without technology and we need to continue to churn out these young people that are tech-savvy as the only way to bridge that gap. We want to be able to see young Kaduna residents who are sitting in their apartments and providing services to companies in Russia, New York or London and that is why I keep saying there is a global focus now.
At 29, how do you think your position will inspire other youths?
It just shows that in Kaduna State, it is not all about talk. For me, I am in a fortunate position and so it is up to me to realise this and give it my best because I have the whole of the nation’s youth riding behind me. If I fail, then some will think the youths cannot do it and if I succeed, Alhamdulillah it will open the gates to a lot more people that will be younger than I am to run bigger agencies.
So, do you think the shoes are big for you?
No, no. After my service here, I was appointed as a technical assistant to the former Executive Secretary, I was then promoted to a manager, then to acting Head, Investor Relations and later promoted to Director Investment Intelligence, which was the youngest in the nation at that time, and apparently in the civil service history, according to my governor. And at 28 again, I was appointed head of the agency, so, I’ve been in the system, and I’m very much aware of the task ahead. There are a lot of brilliant people giving me support, you can imagine his excellency being your governor, the deputy governor being my chairman and then my Vice Chairman is his Highness, Muhammad Sanusi II. They are people that inspire me to go on and bring investors and they never say no to the ideas we have; they encourage it.
After your graduation, was this what you envisaged doing?
Definitely not. I wanted to be an investment banker and so, I thought, let me just come here and do my youth service and it was just a lot of hard work (laugh). So, when we were done, I got retained and I decided, let me try a year or two and see how it goes. But it’s been a wild ride and Alhamdulillah.
What is your advice to Nigerian youths?
First, that it is possible and we need to stop complaining. The time for being swayed by the eloquence of speech is over, it is time for us to be swayed by the eloquence of action. We need to minimise the talking and take action. We need to make sure that we participate in politics and in governance to actually move this country forward. And if we are to do better than the older generation, then it has to be with actual sincerity of purpose, we need to unite across the nation, there is really no time for tribal divisions and sentiments.
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