ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Over eighty percent (80%) of the Inhabitants of Sokoto State practice one form of agriculture or the other. They produce such crops as millets, guinea-corn, maize, rice, potatoes, cassava, groundnut and beans for subsistence and produce wheat, cotton and vegetable for cash. Local craft such as blacksmithing, weaving dying, carving and leather works also play an important role in the economic life of the people of the State. The State is one of the fish producing areas of the Country. Thus a large of number of people along the River basins engage in fishing as well.
Sokoto State is equally endowed with natural and mineral resources. Agro-allied industries using cotton, groundnut, sorghum, Maize, Rice, wheat, sugar cane, cassava, Gum Arabic and Tobacco as raw materials can be established in the State. Large-scale farming can also be practised in the State using irrigation water from Goronyo Dam, Lugu, Kalmalo, Wamakko and Kwakwazo lakes amongst others.
Minerals such as Kaolin, Gypsum limestone, laterite, Red mills, Phosphate, both yellow and green shade clay, sand, etc. are available in the State in commercial quantities. Mineral based industries, using these raw materials could be established in the State. All the 23 Local Government Headquarters in the State have been connected to the National grid and the present administration has awarded contract for the connection of 66 towns and villages to the National Grid.
The Tsetse -free- open -grassland has made animal husbandry a very lucrative venture in the State. There are all kinds of animals both wild and domestic in the State. Sokoto ranks second in Livestock production in the country with animal population of well over eight (8) million.
The availability of these economic potentials provide good investment opportunities, particularly in agro-allied industries such as flour mills, tomato processing, sugar refining, textiles, glue, tanning, fish canning, diary etc.
The present administration in the state has developed an industrial blue print geared towards the indusrialisation of the state. The administration has made adequate plan for the educational development of the state. Already it has doubled the amount spent on the feeding of children in boarding Secondary Schools and has concluded plans for the strengthening of teaching of Information and Communication Technology (lCT) in schools. Girl child education is also given the necessary attention it deserves with the state Government paying all the counterpart contributions to the UNICEF and other donor Agencies. Government has paid all the registration fees for WAEC and NECO for state indigenes and has as well paid for the registration fees for state indigenes studying in tertiary institutions in and outside the country.
In order to give other Nigerian communities resident in the state a sense of belonging, the Sarkin Yamma administration has cancelled all discriminatory fees paid by non indigenes studying in state schools. This measure has gone a long way in cementing the cordial relationship existing between the Resident Communities and their host community.
The Magatakarda led administration has awarded contracts for the construction of 78km Sokoto -Illela road. This is a Federal road that connects the country with the neighbouring Niger Republic. Contractors handling the job have already mobilised to the site and work is continuing in earnest.
The Arkilla-Badon uku-uku -Polytechnic road which is an important road that connects areas of high population density in Sokoto Metropolis and environs has been completed. The State Executive Council has awarded contract for the construction of 12 roads in various parts of the state. The reconstruction of dual carriage Ahmadu Bello Way and provision of flyover along Union Bank Roundabout has already commenced while city beautification is going on with reactivation of dilapidated roundabouts, landscaping of major roads and provision of street lights on other city roads.
The Administration has made peoples welfare the cardinal principle guiding its operation. This could not be attained without adequate and qualitative health care provision. Government has in this light decided to improve the standard of health facilities in the state. The Governor has decided that his administration would complete the multi million Naira Murtala Muhammad Hospital Sokoto which was initiated many years ago but was abandoned by the subsequent administrations in the state. When completed, the Hospital would reduce the congestion of patients at the Specialist Hospital
Additional 400 stalls have been constructed by the state Government in the burnt Sokoto Central Market in order to provide more shops to the traders who lost so much of their wares to the unfortunate inferno that razed down the Market last some two years back and in order to provide clean and hygienic environment for sales of fish, meat and vegetables, an ultramodern market has been constructed by the administration opposite the Sokoto Central Market.

AGRICULTURAL AND MINERAL-RESOURCES AVAILABLE IN SOKOTO STATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT