…as state has 7,865 functioning cooperative societies
The influx of investments and investors in Oyo State over the last few years has been traced to a series of business-friendly policies and an enabling environment put in place by the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde.
Adeniyi Adebisi, Commissioner for Trade, Investment, Industry and Cooperatives, who stated that the Administration of Governor Makinde had done everything possible to ensure that businesses and investments thrive, added that massive expansion witnessed by the State’s economy was as a result of the policies, including ease of doing business, building infrastructure that targets the economy and ensuring that bureaucratic bottlenecks do not encumber the establishment of businesses in the state.
Adebisi, who stated this while highlighting the achievements of his Ministry during a session of the Omituntun 2.0 Inter-Ministerial Briefing held in Ibadan, added that the State’s policies had attracted five African countries, including Rwanda, to agree on trade deals with the State.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the Government to providing more infrastructure and implementing policies that further aid the ease of doing business.
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According to Adebisi, the efforts of his Ministry had helped towards strengthening the cooperatives sector in the State, with 7,865 functioning cooperative societies registered across the state, adding that the Ministry had also excelled in promoting trades and investments.
He maintained that the Ministry resuscitated industrial parks, embarked on the redevelopment of complexes and had put in all the right efforts to ensure the State’s involvement with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) brings the right benefits to the state and its people.
He said: “I want to thank His Excellency, the governor of Oyo State for this good opportunity given to me and my team to contribute our own quota to the achievements of Omituntun 2.0.
“My ministry is a service ministry. We render services to the good people of Oyo State. Our vision is to be the engine for the promotion of economic and industrial growth to enable our state to rank among the best investment destinations for trade, industry and cooperatives.
“We also have the vision to improve the Internally Generated Revenue profile of the state, encourage enterprise through the development of micro, small, medium enterprises incentives, revitalisation and development of agro-allied industries through the establishment of industrial clusters, enhance wealth creation through informal sector of the State’s economy, and facilitate the collection and analysis of data to facilitate economic development in the areas of trade industry and cooperatives across all your States.
“We have five different departments, with two of them servicing the three others. We have the Department of Trade, Department of Cooperatives, Department of Industry, Department of Administration and Supplies, and Department of Finance and Accounts. Let me start with cooperative; that department provides access to resources, markets and services.
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“Cooperative societies promote collective efforts to tackle poverty, they create jobs, they help in income generation, offer low-interest loans to support small businesses and personal needs and also promote saving culture and strong financial discipline.
“We have been able to register 7,865 functioning cooperative societies across the state. In 2024 alone, we registered close to 1,000, and we have registered at least over 800 in the last one year. Also, between May 2024 and June 2025, there were 31 complaints issues such as loan defaults, land properties acquisition, withdrawal of assets and leadership issues, and the Ministry was able to successfully settle 23 of them out of court.
“We are currently working on all others, and we believe very soon we will get them settled.
“The second department is industry. Now that we are set to open our own export market, it is compulsory for us to encourage our local producers. So, we have collaborated with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, and many other formal bodies that can be of help, such as the Small and Medium Enterprises Development of Nigeria, SMEDAN, Nigeria Association of Small Scale Industrialists, NASI, National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, NASME, Technological Incubation Centre, TIC, Raw Materials Research and Development Council, RMRDC, to foster better interpersonal relationships, business collaborations, and also bring about rapid development to our industrial sector in the States.
