About

Borno State is in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria and is the only Nigerian state to border three countries — Niger to the north, Chad to the north-east, and Cameroon to the east — as well as the states of Yobe to the west, Gombe to the south-west, and Adamawa to the south. It takes its name from the historic Borno Emirate, whose seat, Maiduguri, is the state capital. Formed in 1976 from the former North-Eastern State, it originally included present-day Yobe State, which became a separate state in 1991. Borno's economy is traditionally based on agriculture, livestock and cross-border trade, with fisheries around the Lake Chad basin. Opportunities lie in cereals, groundnuts, gum arabic, livestock and hides, agro-processing and regional commerce. Following years of insecurity, public finance and development priorities focus on reconstruction, resettlement, infrastructure rehabilitation, human capital and rebuilding livelihoods and internally generated revenue.