ABSTRACT
This
study attempts to document the history of industrial development in
Gombe State Area from the period of incorporation of Ashaka Cement
Company in 1974, to the end of the second civilian administration in
Gombe State in 2011.In a bid to understand the forces behind the
location, relocation and collapse of industries in Gombe State, the
study adopted political economy perspectives. Using a historical method
of inquiry, the study started by giving a background to industrial
development in Gombe State by demonstrating ways through which the
policies of the defunct Northern regional government of Nigeria, North
Eastern State Government, and the old Bauchi State impacted on
industrial development in Gombe State. The study reveals that, most of
the industries in the state were (and still are) privately-owned and
could be classified into Sunrise, Sunset and Eclipsed industries to
refer to the emerging, grounded and relocated industries respectively.
The study further demonstrate that, the slow pace nature of the
industrial development in Gombe State led to the creation of employment,
generation of revenue, environmental hazards and urbanization. However,
the study argued that, the rapid urbanization in Gombe metropolis has
more to do with trade, commerce, creation of the state and inception of
democracy in 1999 than with industrial development. While some of the
major challenges for industrial development in Gombe State were found
out to be ambiguous industrial policy, weak agricultural sector,
persistent budget deficits, lack of access to right type of finance as
well infrastructural decay among others. Having discussed this, the
study went further to identify some prerequisites for industrialization
of Gombe State to include Strong Political leadership, robust
agriculture, sound infrastructure, right incentives as well as stable
and renewable sources of energy. It is only on this basis that, the
triple industrial heritage of British colonial deindustrialization,
Bauchi Industrial Marginalization and Post-2003 industrial Neglect would
be contained in Gombe State.
