Ogwunewa Audu Jos.
The Plateau State Government through the Plateau Investment and Property Company
(PIPC), the Plateau State Micro-Finance Development Agency (PLASMIDA) and the
Plateau State One Stop Investment Centre (PS-OSIC) have organised, with the support of
Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Development for Decent Employment in Nigeria
(SEDIN) Programme of GIZ, a Business Enabling Environment (BEE) Dialogue Dinner for
the Executive Governor of Plateau state Barr Caleb Mutfwang and the Organised Private Sector and in Jos.
The objectives of the BEE dialogue was to
to enable the State Governor, interact directly with private sector groups, to listen
their challenges that will drive the government to come up with sustainable solutions as
well as demand for validated BEE reforms
Other reasons are,to provide another opportunity for the Plateau State Government to discuss its level of
commitment towards the improvement of the business enabling environment of the
state by way of presenting its reforms for improving the business enabling environment.
The dialogue would be an opportunity for both public and private sector stakeholders to
make recommendations for new reforms and policies .
At the event,GIZ was represented by the Head of BEE, Investment and Sustainable
Infrastructure, Barr. Akinropo Omoware who thanked the organisers and particularly the
Executive Governor Mutfwang and the Oragnised Private Sector for their collaboration.
Delivering his
remarks, which he titled “Building Resilience – Addressing Growing Business Constraints
for MSMEs in Plateau State”, he reiterated the importance of MSMEs to the State and
National Economy.
According to him, there is the need for all stakeholders, particularly the government, to provide
the needed support and the environment for their growth.
Highlight of his Presentation at the event is the need for a
recent BEE Rapid Assessment by PS-OSIC and GIZ covering 1,511 MSMEs in Jos
South, Jos North and Mangu LGAs which shows the following as the key enabling
environment issues affecting MSMEs in Plateau State
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The challenges he said are access to finance,
energy/power, taxation, insecurity, inflation, high cost of rent, among others.
The following were identified as some of the needed interventions to turn the tide;
They are among other things,Improvement in the macro-economic indicators (FX, inflation, interest rate etc)
Others are Infrastructure (road/transportation, internet Energy (robust state energy market, renewable energy)
Industrial clustering,
Digitalization, (businesses and government services,
Collaboration and partnerships with private sector.
Kwararafa Reporters 