2. Engage Key Target Groups in Using and Refining RDM Tools

RDM represents a powerful tool for mapping regional assets and opportunities. But, ensuring that these tools are seen as a valuable, practical and user-friendly tool for guiding decision-making by State leaders in northern region is equally important. As such, the ACRD is seeking to enhance the skills of individuals and groups that want to utilize the RDM. Activities being planned include:

• Website Development & Launch,

• Webinars and Face-to-Face Training, and

• Technical Support. Collectively, these important activities are intended to help the Center strengthen the relevance and utility of the RDM to key stakeholders.

3. Produce a Comprehensive Arewa Region Economic Profile and Other Informational Resources

To maximize the value of the RDM to a wider array of people and organizations, ACRD will develop a series of user-friendly Economic Profiles that offer Arewa region attractive document that can guide the region's economic development plans and activities. In this regard, our Center will partner both States and Local Government to develop Information Briefs that are intended to provide local economic development outlook, timely information on a variety of local and State demographic, socioeconomic, education, economic and workforce development. The briefs will be couple of flyer-pages to include visually effective graphs, charts and/or tables, and be written for lay audiences. ACRD will create peer group regional development program to be called Leading Edge Practices (LEEP), a navigational tool designed to assist States in the region in learning from one another, leading to new strategies for accelerating innovation and collaboration.

4. Implement Programs that Build on Regional Opportunities

Introducing innovative programs that complement and add value to all States within the Arewa region’s industry and occupational clusters.

 

5. Strengthen Arewa Regional Collaboration and Innovation Networks

The mainstay of the ACRD Center of Excellence’s collaboration work centers on its Strategic Doing initiative. This program will focus on the use of States within the regional networks to accelerate innovation, partnership and collaboration. Strategic Doing quickly develops sophisticated collaborations that help advance open innovation across organizational and political boundaries within the entire region. Strategic Doing ignites the spark of regional innovation, partnership and collaboration enabling people in loosely-joined, open networks to think and act strategically. In partnership with Small Business Development Center’s across the World, this program showcases the pivotal role of second-stage firms to employment growth and prosperity and development growth strategies, with the goal of making Arewa region an investment destination.

6. Building Capacity of Local and State Governments to effectively Address Economic and Environmental issues

The mainstay of the ACRD environmental considerations in the overall policy-making, planning, and development process at local and regional level are:

• Building capacity of local and States governments within the region to effectively address specific environmental issues, concerns, and strategic measures in areas like agriculture, transport, waste management, and freshwater availability that have significant relevance and implications in the context of sustainable regional development;

• Responding to emerging issues of concern, such as climate change and human health impacts; and

• Fostering community-based natural resource/environment management to achieve the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).