by Christiana Gokyo, Jos
A technical session and Statewide Town-Hall Meeting on Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) was organised under the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) in Jos.
Speaking during Town-Hall Meeting on Tuesday, at Government House Little Reyfield Jos, Director-General of PEBEC, Zahrah Audu, said, the ongoing nationwide sub-national tour was aimed at strengthening state-level ownership of reform initiatives.
According to him, the move is also aimed at deepening the implementation of SABER across the country, adding that part of PEBEC’s mandate was to translate national policies to the sub-national level, ensuring that reforms were tailored to meet the specific needs of each state.
While explaining that PEBEC was a World Bank-funded project geared towards promoting economic growth and development, she stressed that, “The sessions are to assess the state’s business reform progress, galvanize multi-stakeholder participation, and reaffirm the commitment of government.
She explained further that, the move includes the private sector and development partners towards creating a more enabling and competitive business environment.
Our correspondent reports that, PEBEC was established in July, 2016, to drive Nigeria’s business environment reform with the mission to “improve the ease of doing business in Nigeria” by implementing reforms that promote a more conducive business environment.
Also, the State Governor, Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to creating a friendly environment to enable businesses to thrive in the state.
He was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Arch. Samuel Jatau, even as he vowed to make Plateau one of the most business-friendly states in Nigeria.
Governor Mutfwang emphasized that the ease of doing business had become a top priority of the State Government, adding that, the state had made a significant progress in implementing actionable reforms, which had helped to attract investors and promote economic growth.
According to him, “We are doing more in the area of ease of doing business because when we assumed office, Plateau was ranked ‘No.14’ in ease of doing business in Nigeria.
“Last year, we improved and moved to ‘No.10.’ We are expecting the new ranking to come out before the end of this year, and we expect to move up a little bit.
“And so, once we move up, you will now see how we are doing better. So, we are doing a lot in attracting more investors into Plateau,” he said.
While thanking Plateau citizens for their prayers and support, the governor called on the business community in the state to partner with the government to build a more thriving economy.