Katsina Officials Finetune Ease Of Doing Business Strategies At Retreat

Katsina State government has reiterated its determination to create an enabling environment to achieve its Ease of Doing Business goals and make the state more business and investor-friendly.

This reaffirmation came at a three-day Ease of Doing Business Retreat on State Action on Business Enabling Reform (SABER) programme organised by the state government in conjunction with the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).

The state deputy governor Mannir Yakubu said the meeting was apt and timely. He said Governor Aminu Bello Masari had set up and even launched the state steering committee on the Ease of Doing business in 2020 as part of the state government commitment in ensuring that Katsina State remains business and investor friendly.

Yakubu said, “I was made the chairman of the steering committee in demonstration of the administration’s political will towards a coordinated implementation of business environment reforms. The committee also comprises key ministries, departments, relevant agencies, MDAs and other relevant Federal Establishments.”

The deputy governor stated further that the steering committee has the mandate to among others coordinate the implementation of business reforms particularly to review and improve MDAs service delivery to MSMES and the private sector.

Yakubu highlighted further that doing business in Katsina remains relatively easy when compared to many other states.

He cited as an example that the World Bank in its 2018 subnational Ease of Doing business rankings report on Nigeria, acknowledged that doing business practices in Katsina is rapidly improving.

Katsina was ranked fifth under the registering property and enforcing contract indicators, sixth in starting business and tenth in contract permits while in 2021 an EODB Survey ranked the state ninth overall across 11 indicators.

The deputy governor said the retreat is designed to be interactive and brainstorming to keep participants abreast with the expectations from the implementation of reforms initiatives.