The National Assembly will on June 5, commemorate the first year anniversary of the National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable (NASSBER).
NASSBER is a public-private platform established in March 2016 that brings critical stakeholders from the private sector, legislature and executive to debate, deliberate and advocate a coherent legal framework to advance business environment legislations through the National Assembly.
Activities at the programme include an interactive session to explore and discuss legislative interventions to actualise the theme: ‘Creating Opportunity through Legislation’ for local Businesses’.
Special Assistant (New Media) to the Senate President, Bamikole Omishore, in a statement, said the event is being organized by the 8th National Assembly in partnership with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), the Nigeria Bar Association – Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL) and supported by the U.S. Department for International Development – Enhancing Nigeria Advocacy for a Better Business Environment (DFID-ENABLE) programme.
Last year, the platform reviewed 54 acts and 50 bills pending before the National Assembly, and rated them in order of priority to help the legislature focus more on areas that require urgent intervention.
The team categorised 11 of the bills for urgent passage as economic bills, which it said would improve Nigeria’s ranking in the Ease of Doing Business report.
Some of the bills are Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2015, Federal Roads Authority Bill 2015, National Inland Waterways Authority Bill 2015, National Roads Funds Bill 2015, National Transport Commission 2015, Nigerian Ports and Harbours Authority Bill 2015, Nigeria Postal Commission Bill 2015 and Nigeria Railway Authority Bill 2015 among others.
Nigeria ranks 169 out of 189 countries in the World Bank’s Doing Business 2017 ranking report.
Omishore stated that the event would highlight and celebrate the success of NASSBER so far and consider several aspects of NASSBER’s role and legacy in promoting a competitive economy and healthy business environment.
He said it would also appraise the benefits of collaboration between the legislature and the private sector as well as the inauguration of the Steering Committee, Technical Committee and Working Groups.
He said: “The NASSBER Anniversary and Annual Dialogue Event will play host to top government and business leaders with keynote addresses to be presented by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, while Doyin Salami, will examine the effect of NASSBER interventions on the business environment and the Nigerian economy.
“In addition, there will be an interactive session to explore and discuss legislative interventions to actualise the theme: ‘Creating Opportunity through Legislation’ for local businesses.
“The occasion affords stakeholders the opportunity to review NASSBER’s accomplishment in year one and also shape the agenda for the platform in 2018 by setting out a policy and legislative framework to support Made-In-Nigeria goods and services, thereby boosting competitiveness and economic growth.
“Since its inception, the platform has made significant strides and a number of business environment (BE) related bills are at different stages of consideration and passage in both chambers of the National Assembly.”
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
