Jobs: Kaduna targets 800,000 new businesses

KADUNA State government has said it is targeting 800,000 new businesses under its business licensing reforms.

Governor Nasir el-Rufai stated this during the unveiling of the new licensing reforms programme in Kaduna.

He said that  the whole idea was to create  jobs among the teeming youths, saying, to achieve this, his administration would fashion out the conditions that will encourage private investments to thrive in the state.

Represented by the deputy governor ,Bala Barnabas Bantex, the governor noted that the recent Kaduna Economic and Investment Summit (KADInvest) held in the state had shown that it had the policies and laws to support business investments.

el-Rufai said: “That is why we welcome today’s launch of the Business Licensing Reform (BLR) programme. Put simply, we are committing to continuous refinement of the process for obtaining business permits and to improve the quality of regulations that impact the private sector. Successfully implemented, we expect the BLR programme to strengthen our regulatory processes and to promote economic activities in the state”

“BLR will reduce the cost and time it takes to process licenses and permits and eliminate regulations that hinder businesses, impede competition or impose restraints to trade. This should encourage more private businesses to formalise, boost revenue generation in the state and propel economic growth in the state.

Let there be no doubt that the Kaduna State Government is deeply committed to realising the objectives of the BLR process. It is in the interests of our people that our state should attract and keep investors who will create, maintain and expand their business in our state. We want the return of manufacturing in our state and we look forward to the Kakuri industrial area regaining its vibrancy”

The governor added: “We want trade, agriculture, construction, transportation and services to consider Kaduna State a place of dynamism and positive returns. Our people will be the ones to benefit from jobs and the better social services that can be enabled by improved revenue generation”

With optimism that we are embarked on the right path to move our people out of poverty, it is my pleasure to launch the BLR programme. It is our programme, and we shall make a success of it within our broad commitment to promote the Ease of Doing Business in Kaduna State” el-Rufai said.

On his part, Leslie Emegbuonye, manager Business Licensing,a European Union sponsored Programme, said the reform would  facilitate easy registration of 800,000 businesses to create wealth in Kaduna :” With Kaduna state business licensing reforms launched,we target the registration of 800,000 businesses both retailers and wholesales”  he said.