The Federal Government says it will continue to support and provide technical assistance to the Edo State Government to improve its ease of doing business environment beyond the current ranking.
Hussaina AbdulKadir, senior reform leader at the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) secretariat, made the pledged at a two-day peer learning session of PEBEC secretariat in Benin City.
The session was organised by the Edo State Investment Promotion Office (ESIPO)-Ease of Doing Business secretariat.
AbdulKadir also promised Federal Government support to implement the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government’s reforms in the state.
“We will leverage peer learning and provide technical assistance to improve the state’s ease of doing business environment beyond the ranking.
“We are dedicated to ensuring that Edo State adopts best practices and benefits from the experiences of other states,” he said.
Earlier, in his address, Kelvin Uwaibi, managing director, Edo State Investment Promotion Office (ESIPO)-Ease of Doing Business Secretariat, said that the two-day peer learning session was aimed to enhance the state’s business environment and foster a more conducive climate for businesses to thrive.
Uwaibi noted that the session focused on identifying and resolving key challenges faced by businesses in Edo State.
The key highlights of the technical session included electricity, infrastructure, market access, security, among others.
“Resolving electricity issue as a government, our decision is to collaborate with the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) and the Manufacturer Association of Nigeria (MAN) to address tariff concerns and improve electricity supply.
“On enhancing security, government will work with relevant authorities to address security concerns, including the impact of disbanded vigilante groups on businesses,” he added.
Uwaibi urged the government to prioritize infrastructure development and ensure quality delivery through effective contractor monitoring.
The ESIPO boss, who also spoke on human capital development noted that with a significant youth population of 68 percent in the state, the state government aims to invest more in skills development to create a skilled workforce and potentially export talent.
He assured that as a way of strengthening communication, ESIPO will increase its outreach efforts to better connect with businesses and address their concerns.
The two-day programme was attended by ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government and private sector representatives.
The programme focused on review and validation of Edo State Business Environment Reforms Action Plan (BERAP) for 2025 and was supported by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ SEDIN).
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