PEBEC scores Anambra high on infrastructural development

The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has scored Anambra high in terms of Infrastructural development and ease of doing business as regards digitalisation of economy by 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.

ALSO READ: Suspected bandits kill 13 in Niger community

Ohiemi expressed satisfaction with the level of Infrastructural development in Anambra State, saying that the review they get shows that Anambra State is on the right pedestal, especially in the ease of doing business.

He said that the implication of GNIS helps people to access lands 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 the Federal Government was to remove administrative constraints to ease 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 was in Anambra State for a 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 the World Bank, Nigerian Governors forum, Debt Management Office, and the the Ministry of finance.

He said the fund is a reward initiative 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 at the State level, stating that the loan is an opportunity for a state to deepen their reform to access more funding.

“So, the fund is a #750 million dollar initiative, and less than 10%, has been withdrawn.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 reform in line with the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s initiative on ease 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 the 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 is 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 providing 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 an efficient and functional relationship with the federal government.

Udechukwu confirmed that the Anambra state government has benefited Small and Medium Enterprises (SMsE) from federal government intervention, and the Bank of Industry, saying that those intervention funds are small-scale grants of #50,000 to each.

He highlighted that after the program, it would be expected that there would be an increase in harmony in terms of policy formulation and implementation from the Federal to the 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 the State months ago, explaining that the ongoing program is for PEBEC which she said has the whole idea of doing business in Nigeria.

She described the program as an avenue that deliberately shows that everything Anambra State government has done has either improved the 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 the Federal Government in collaboration with the state has been doing a whole lot, emphasizing that the Federal Government granted Anambra the right to build the truck A road and the authority to reform power on their own.