By BellaNaija.com
Recognizing the importance of enterprise and public-private collaboration, the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) hosted entrepreneurs and industry stakeholders in Akwa Ibom State and the South-South region to a stakeholder engagement forum on Wednesday, 4 December 2019 at the Judiciary Multipurpose Hall, Uyo.
Themed ‘Lituation’, guests at the event deliberated on the reforms engineered since 2016, especially its alignment with the Council’s mandate to remove bureaucratic constraints and bottlenecks, with a view to reducing cost, time, and procedures required to start and efficiently run businesses in Nigeria.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Ease of Doing Business and head of the Enabling Business Environment Secretariat (EBES) said, “Anyone paying even the slightest attention to the news should be acquainted with the Akwa Ibom state government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for rapid industrialization, investment, entrepreneurship, and human capital development.”
L-R: Hon. Commissioner of Commerce and Industry, Akwa Ibom State, Prince Ukpong Udo Akpabio; Akan Udom -CEO Yenne eMarket and Logistics; Iroghama Ogbeifun-Obuoforibo, CEO Hairven Ltd.; Secretary to Akwa-Ibom State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem; Honorable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo; Dr Jumoke Oduwole, Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business; Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Sunday Edet Akpan; Hope Obeten -Founder of Calabar Blog
The Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem underscored the importance of SMEs to the state government’s Industrialisation agenda saying, “Healthy SMEs have the potential to alleviate poverty and create employment opportunities four our teeming population. We are interested in SMEs because they are globally recognized as the bedrock of industrialization.”
Influential personalities who attended the forum are the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo; Governor of Akwa Ibom State, His Excellency, Udom Emmanuel, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem; Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Sunday Edet Akpan; Honourable Commissioner of Commerce and Industry, Akwa Ibom State, Prince Ukpong Udo Akpabio; and Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Public Affairs, Ajuri Ngelale.
L-R: Dr Jumoke Oduwole, Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business; Honorable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo; Secretary to Akwa-Ibom State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem; Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Sunday Edet Akpan; and Hon. Commissioner of Commerce and Industry, Akwa Ibom State, Prince Ukpong Udo Akpabio
Other entrepreneurs at the event include Hope Obeten -Founder of Calabar Blog, Akan Udom -CEO Yenne eMarket and Logistics, and Iroghama Ogbeifun-Obuoforibo, CEO Hairven Ltd., verified the impact of the business reforms and other PEBEC initiatives on their bottom-lines directly.
L-R: Secretary to Akwa-Ibom State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Ajuri Ngelale; Honorable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo; Dr Jumoke Oduwole, Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business
Private sector businesses are implored to table complaints or problems faced with MDAs in carrying on commercial activities on PEBEC’s App, reportgov.ng, where they will be processed within 72 hours. More information about the L.I.T sub-national tour and all the reforms that have been implemented to improve doing-business in Nigeria over the past three years can be found at Business Made Easy, PEBEC’s awareness, and educational campaign platform.
