The Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business, Dr. (Mrs) Jumoke Oduwole, has commended the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration for its far-reaching reforms and policies to improve the ease of doing business in the state.
Oduwole made the submission during a Roundtable on Ease of Doing Business organized by the Lagos State Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), held in Lagos State.
Responding to the issues raised by the Managing Director of Edo State Investment Promotion Office (ESIPO) Mr. Kelvin Uwaibi on the state’s ranking, Oduwole expressed satisfaction with Edo State ranking, noting that the state has been doing quite a lot and among the first states to establish the Small Claims Court in Nigeria.
According to her, “We have worked with Edo State for a number of years. Edo was one of the first states to establish the Small Claims Court. We have also observed a similar trend with the World Bank International Report as a country. This is a perception index. It’s the opinion of the private sector.”
She noted that there could be gaps in communication with the stakeholders on the reforms embarked on by the state government, calling for more engagement with members of the private sector.
Managing Director of Edo State Investment Promotion Office (ESIPO), Mr. Kelvin Uwaibi, said the state government is providing information to enhance private sector participation in the state’s economy, adding that more constructive communication would be leveraged with the private investor to ensure government’s efforts are leveraged to boost the state’s competitiveness.
Uwaibi and other speakers also advocated improvement in security, as a peaceful and secure environment is key in boosting the ease of doing business in Nigeria.
Other attendees at the roundtable include the Commercial Attache, U.S Mission to Nigeria in Lagos, David G. Russell; National Senior MSMEs Development Expert GIZ, Lawal Ismaeel; the Senior Trade Advisor, Head-Admin, Finance (Embassy of France), Valor Iduh, among others.
