By Ovat Abeng
The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has scored Anambra state high in terms of Infrastructural development and easy of doing business as regards digitalization of economy by a way of National Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
This was disclosed by the PEBEC’s team leader, Mr Gabriel Ohiemi during the technical session and state wide town hall meeting on State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER), held at the International Conference Center (ICC) Awka, on Tuesday.
Ohiemi expressed satisfaction on the level of Infrastructural development in Anambra State, saying that from the review they get shows that Anambra state is in a right pedestal especially in the easy of doing business.
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He said that the implication of GNIS helps people to access lands through electronically which according to him reduces long standing issues of land grabbers and land scammers.
He also emphasized that the cardinal objective of creating PEBEC by Federal Government was to remove administrative constraints to easy of doing business in Nigeria and make the country a progressively easier place to start and grow a business.
He equally said that his team were in Anambra State for town hall meeting and stakeholders engagement centered on SABER, saying that there was #750 million initiated, designed and implemented by the PEBEC secretariat in collaboration with world bank, Nigerian Governors forum, debt management office and Ministry of finance.
He said the fund is a reward initiated where states embark on the exercise of deepening reform and after deepening reform are certified through disbursement indicators when delivery can be achieved, they can access to fund them from the world bank.
He however noted that they are going round to engage the people one on one by moving from State to state to ensure that the reforms are implemented to State level, stating that the loan is an opportunity for a state to deepen their reform to access more funding.
“So, the fund is 750 million dollars initiative and less than 10%, it has been withdrawn. The more the states deepen their reform, the more they have access to the loan just as he explained that the Director of PEBEC, Princess Zahrah Mustaphe Audu is encouraging the states to deepen their their reform in line with the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu initiative on easy of doing business and making Nigeria a business friendly climate,” said Ohiemi.
Declaring the event open, the State Governor, Chukwuma Charles Soludo expressed appreciation to PEPEC team for visiting Anambra state as well as stakeholders and commissioners who attended the event.
He also lauded the team, saying that the event was a free assessment and so important to the State adding that their strategic way of assisting to improve on what the state has been doing to better the life of Ndi Anambra are highly appreciated.
Governor Soludo who was represented by his deputy, Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim further said that the state is aiming to be first position in the country, stressing that there is work in progress and the state government is deliberately structured and working with all levels of government ranging from the Executive, judiciary, legislature and captains of industries.
He assured that the state government has committed to provide a very friendly environment for thriving businesses to continue to improve on what the state has been doing until they get to the first position they state desire.
On his part, the State commissioner for Industry, Christian Udechukwu affirmed that the program was satisfactory, stating that Anambra State Government had enjoyed efficient and functional relationship with federal government.
Udechukwu confirmed that Anambra state government has benefited Small scale and Medium Entrepreneur (SME) from federal government intervention, and Bank of Industry, saying that those intervention funds are small scale grants of N50,000 to each.
He highlighted that after the program, it would be expected that there would be increase in harmony in terms of policy formulation and implementation from Federal to state level.
Also speaking, the State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Chiamaka Nnake also clarified that PEBEC is actually going round the states in Nigeria to meet with the business communities to hear from them on how they improve on the business they are doing.
She noted that Governor Soludo also engaged with the business communities in State months ago, explaining that the ongoing program is for PEBEC which she said has the whole ideas of doing business in Nigeria.
She described the program as avenue deliberately shows that everything Anambra State government has done has either improving lives of every lives in Anambra or deliberately improving the easy way of doing business, even as she noted that roads construction is deliberately efforts to inter connect Anambra State for easy moving round in doing business.
She testified that Federal Government in collaboration with the state has been doing a whole lot, emphasizing that Federal Government granted Anambra right to build truck A road and authority to reform power on their own.
