The Niger Government says a $900,000 grant has been approved by the South Korean government for the state urban policy.
Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Ahmed Matane, disclosed this on Monday in Minna at a press conference to commence preparations for the Niger State Urban Policy.
Matane said Governor Abubakar Bello had solicited the assistance of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)and other international donors to prepare the an urban policy for the state.
According to Matane, the governor sought the assistance while attending the international conference on National Urban Policy in Paris, France, on the invitation of the UN-Habitat.
Matane said the governor solicited the support of UN-Habitat to help prepare a pilot integrated development plan for Minna and Suleja and to develop a smart city near Suleja.
He said it was the effort of the governor that attracted the $900,000 grant from South Korea.
Coordinator for the Urban Support Programme, Prof. Mustapha Zubairu, said out of the $900,000, about $240,000 had been released to the state to organise town hall meetings.
He said the policy seeks to develop the human settlement sector in a holistic, comprehensive and integrated manner.