As part of its efforts to attract investments and grow its economy from $30bn to $4.4bn in eight years, the Enugu State government recently inaugurated an Ease-of-Doing-Business Council that will drive that growth.
By this singular action, the state has sent a good message to investors that it is ready for business as all the barriers to investment across sectors are being pushed to the corner.
Among other things, the ease of doing business guarantees ease of access to land through the establishment of the Enugu State Geographic Information Systems (ENGIS), and the establishment of a one-stop shop for processing of permits.
The state’s investment in ultramodern security infrastructure, building of transport infrastructure, digital infrastructure, and skilled manpower are some of the strategic steps taken to ease business in the state.
Peter Mbah, the state governor, explained at the inauguration that the council was in tandem with his electoral promise to grow the state’s economy by repositioning it as the premier destination for business, investment, tourism, and living.
The governor, who is chairman of the 25-man council, stressed that investors were not Father Christmas and would naturally tilt to where there is conducive environment and higher return on investment (RoI).
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“Recall that one of the first activities that I performed after my swearing was to sign Executive Order 005, which speaks to Ease of Doing Business. It largely tells us that we cannot achieve the ambitious economic growth plan that we have given ourselves if we do not attract private investments.
Therefore, for us as a state government, this Ease-of- Doing-Business Council is consistent with our objectives to ensure that we create an environment for businesses to thrive. If you look at all the key indicators of Ease of Doing Business, you would notice that we have aggressively intervened across those various indicators,” he stated.
Mbah assured that, as the chairman, he and all the council members will work hard to ensure that the state comes close to becoming the frontier of Ease of Doing Business.
Speaking to newsmen, Eric Chime, the second deputy president of the Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, who represented the president and the body, described the council as another great leap for Enugu State under Governor Mbah’s leadership.
“The governor has stated all he has done to make Enugu State attract investment. What we are going to do is to be the wagon that will carry this message and let investors come. Enugu is the safest place to invest.
Any investor that you want to tell to come, they will ask you about security first. If you are talking about security, technology or infrastructure, the governor has taken care of them. So, our job is to take the good message and attract investors to the state because Enugu is a safe haven,” he enthused.
Sam Otobueze, the President of the Nsukka Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, commended Mbah for his efforts to align Enugu with global standards for attracting businesses.
“This is a very wonderful initiative. The world economy is changing, and the best way to get into it and be recognised is what we are doing because the more we attract businesses and investments into the state and get to the world map as one of those states you can go and invest in business, the better for us,” he said.
