ZAMFARA STATE

Date Created: October 1, 1996

Capital City: Gusau

Major Towns: Kaura-Namoda, Anka, Talata-Marafa, Zugu

Zamfara State is one of the newest states of the federation created out of sokoto State on the October 1, 1996.

Zamfara State is bounded by Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Niger and Kaduna states. It is made up of 14 local government areas: Isa, Zurmi, Maradun, Talata-Marafa, Kaura-Namoda, Bungudu, Gussau, Chafe, maru, Anka, Kiyawa, Bukuyum, Gummu and Shinkafi.

The state is basically an agricultural state with over 80 percent of the people engaged in various forms of agriculture. Major agricultural products include millet, guinea corn, maize, rice, groundnut, cotton, tobacco and beans.

To harness these products and industrialise the state, government has made it a cardinal policy to encourage entrepreneurs both foreign and indigenous to invest in the State especially in the manufacturing sector.

Industrial concerns exist in the state and these include a modern bakery in Gusau, Gusau Oil Mill, which is the first vegetable oil mill in Nigeria to extract oil from cotton seeds, Zamfara Textile Industries Limited, Gusau and the Gusau Sweets Factory and the Cotton Gingery at Gusau. The people of Zamfara State also engage in' the weaving and telling of locally dyed and designed materials and other kinds of woven products, often made from date - palm raffia.

Zamfara State holds some tourist attractions which are of historical or religious importance. These include Jata, an ancient settlement of Zamfara located around the hill with a large cave around where traditional practices were performed.