Federal Government on Thursday said it is aiming first to 100th position on the World Bank ranking on the ease of doing business with the launch of I Guide,which is an investment guide for domestic and foreign investors into the country.
Nigeria appreciated 24 places in the recent ranking of the world bank ease of doing business ranking presented last year moving from 169 places to 145 among 190 ranked countries,as officials of the Nigerian government express optimist that with governments efforts to improve ease of doing business,Nigeria would fair better in 2018 ranking.
Okechukwu Enelemah, the Minister of Industry Trade and Investment who gave the information at the launch ‘I Guide’ Nigeria said with the launch,investors can now have valid information access,while making investment decisions into Africa’s largest economy.
Represented by Edet Akpan,the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry,Enelemah said,”Investors seeking to make investment into the Nigeria’s economy could now have a one stop Information Centre since all the information required from Labour laws,industrial relations,payment of Taxes and all forms of levies are also provided there”
Also in her remarks,Yewande Sadiku,the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission,NIPC, at the launch said countries that have I Guide utilises it to fastrack investment inflow into their country business because investors can access information under one umbrella.
“The Web portal has been made easier such that all the launguages recognised by Google could translate the information on the portal.The Japanese,Chinese,and other global countries could source for investment information in their respective language once they click on the portal”Yewande said.
She further noted that with the launch of the I Guide launch would also impact greatly on the recently launch of the Economic Diplomatic Initiatives launched by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo,with the target of ensuring Nigeria mission abroad market economic and investment information about Nigeria.
“The I Guide would also be hoisted on Nigeria’s diplomatic missions abroad to ensure investors seeking investment information about Nigeria gets it on the click of a button at our embassies portal”Yewanded noted.
”We would also review information there on a qauterly basis so that investors could also have access to any changes or updates we make”She added.
Emmanuel Chinyama,the Chief Economic Officer at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa said the NIPC has taken a bold step which would place Nigeria in the right footing to improve its investment drive as Africa’s largest economy.
“Nigeria is among the first country that had come up with this development,with other countries comprising of Malawi,Zambia,and Congo.”
He added that Providing domestic and private investors with information on investors at the click of a button is a key way to facilitating ease of doing business which Nigerian government has been working consistently on overtime.
HARRISON EDEH, ABUJA
