The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council PEBEC has
express it’s determination to poster deeper collaboration to build trust and shaped practical solutions that will unlock the full economic potentials of every state in the country.
The Director General of the PEBEC Hajiya Zarah Mustapha stated this during the PEBEC-SABER townhall meeting with stakeholders in business industry drown from across the thirteen local government areas of Nasarawa State, held in Lafia the State Capital.
Represented by the Internal Auditor of the PEBEC Mr. Shima Kennedy said, SABER is Nigeria’s flagship, results-driven programme designed to accelerate ease-of-doing business reforms across states by World Bank financing to measurable performance.
According to her, Nasarawa State Government has implemented subnational ease of doing business and States Action Business Environment Reforms SABER for this year, with a focuses on key reform areas essential for private investment and economic growth, though early-stage disbursements are promising, full impact depends on sustained implementation and compliance across all states.
She said, Nasarawa State has been doing well in the ease of doing business, with the exception of some amendment in some areas of reports as the state has done well in this year..
The presidential enabling business reforms according to the coordinator, was set up in July, 2016 to drive the ease of doing business reforms in the country to remove bureaucratic bottlenecks so that the business environment will become an easy place for investors to come and do business, improve the perception about ease of doing business in the country.
“She said that at the sub national by the state, this reforms, any economy in the world, small businesses are what moves an economy and the reforms that can really touch this businesses Mosley comes from the states and local government so PEBEC works closely with state government at the sub national including the FCT to encourage them to implement or replicate what PEBEC is doing at the federal level in terms of working with the MDA,s, Judiciary and National Assembly to work on reforms that will ease business in the communities….she added ”
She noted that, the SABER program which is performance for results program whereby, there is seven hundred and fifty million dollars made available which seven hundred and thirty million is for loans to the states, calling it performance for results program and the fact that States are actually going to be rewarded with loans when they actually fulfill some of the deliverable link indicators.
Hajiya Zara Mustapha Audu said that, interns of PEBEC at the federal level is keying state into those reforms, PEBEC is trying to offer technical assistance to the states, PEBEC has monitoring template where independent verifying agents from the world Bank also come around to check whether the reforms the states claims they are actually doing in place and until they pass before they get the loan.
“That is the mechanism for us to check if this reforms are actually in place” and also talking about subnational ease of doing business ranking where the states are being ranked, like the new ranking method is going to have top ten ranking states and five most improve states that would also be highlighting the areas indicators were States are very strong where there are high opportunities for investors to come in and invest, the ranking method and the modality in which will be use to gather data and information on this is by issuing out survey questionnaires for people to fill, Businesses, private sectors, independent agents will also come around the state issue physical interviews with a view of getting a feedback from stakeholders, private stakeholders to actually summarizes everything to analyze and come to a conclusion that, this state is doing well or has drop, or has improve in this way and off course there’s going to be some suggestions peculiar to each state on areas they should focus on, and we’re they have strong opportunities, we let them know, feedback from the private sectors that we have had interview with them know the feedback on what the people feel about the state, that’s the perception they actually have on the state.
In his remark, Governor Abdullahi Sule said, since the coming on board of the present Administration, a hope for investors has been encouraged, efficiency unit has been created in the office of the governor, bureau for statistics within the state, bearer for public procurement BPP office, and also a bill passed by state assembly on harmonizing taxes in the state.
The Governor who was represented by his Deputy, Dr Emmanuel Akabe, thanked PEBEC for coming up with the reformed idea, adding that Nasarawa State has since keyed into with the establishment of NASIDA office to drive the ease of doing business in the state.
He said that the C-of-O,s Signed by the governor in his first one year, was more than the ones since the creation of the state, adding that SABER is not new in the state saying before the establishment of SABER, Nasarawa State has already making business establishment very easy for investors coming in to invest in Nasarawa State.
Given an over view on the event, the vice president, ease of doing business at the Nasarawa State Investment Development Agency (NASIDA) Who is also the program manager on business enabling reforms in Nasarawa State Mr Louis Azige said that the programme was specifically designed to provide a platform for state officials, reform champions of ministries, departments and agencies MDA’s to interact with business communities as well as the civil society on the business enabling reforms that are been implemented in the state and to also ensure to get feedback on how it can improve on the work been done to enhance the business Community.
“Basically, that’s what we do, so we have our partners from the presidential enabling business environment council that are also here to give us support and also assure that this engagement goes on as expected” Azige said.
The vice president NASIDA explained that the state has implemented over 15 different reforms in various areas that have been implemented, from Tax administration to Land administration, farbiotic deployment, Judicial service commission through the smog ling court, and many others.
He also point out that, the organization has also develop reforms for business related agencies to ensure that members of the public can access information on those platforms, they can also register to get there own licenses, permit such as construction permit, building permits and business registration permits amongst others on those digital platforms.
According to him, so far various ministries that are working on this reforms have been very supportive and they have been collaboratively working together to ensure that the reforms are successful, and they have also working with members of the public to ensure that that take advantage of the reforms and that if they don’t take advantage of the available reforms, then it didn’t make meaning, this reforms is been communicating to people to know and can visit the available website before going to any MDA to see the services they render, the courses and procedures and the time line for delivering those services.
The vice president of the NASIDA stressed that, before now, Nasarawa State was 24 out of 36 States and the FCT in the PEBEC/SABER ranking, for that reason, the state double it’s efforts to ensure that they collaborate with various MDA,s to ensure that this reforms are actually available and communicated to the business Community to take advantage of, and that’s why details are place on dashboard, websites, notice board of various ministries, event on TV and Radio stations, programs are being publicize for people to take advantage of them.
He said that participants at the event are ranging from Farmers, Traders, and all other sectors that are actually involved in doing business in the state including the civil society to help guide whatever is said to be done are actually implemented ad expected because there’s action plan for every year that is been developed and carried over those items that are not been implemented to the next year with a reason stated.
The event had two sessions, technical as well as questions and answers which gives participants opportunity to asked questions and share their experiences on the ease of doing business in the state.
One of the participant who owns a private Radio Station (Breeze FM) Dr Nawani Aboki while sharing his view with regards to impact of the engagement townhall meeting, describing the meeting as quite interesting as it has created an opportunity for people to understand key things that are happening within the business environment as most people didn’t know what was happening, ” such meeting are good as it expose allot of good things” generally, people who are in businesses face a lot of situations and when they attain meetings like this, they got to find solutions to them.
Another participant Mr Obadiah Solomon Ovye, a lead community engagement with Hurgs power system Nigeria, a renewable energy company that has been able to built 44 sides in Nasarawa state, powering rural Communities on enabling progressive changing in terms of energy efficiency in those communities.
He said that his company has been partnering Nasarawa state Investment Development Agency (NASIDA) for the past which has let the company understand some of the easy access to community’s interns of land assessment and other business initiative.
COV/Aliyu Muraki/Lafia.
