Kwara Gov’t, Stakeholders Brainstorm On Business Enabling Reforms

By Abdullahi Olesin, Ilorin

The Kwara State government has organised a one-day technical workshop and town hall meeting to enlighten stakeholders and strengthen existing collaborations on the State Action Business Enabling Reforms (SABER).

Attended by participants from public and private sectors, the engagement was held in collaboration with a high-powered delegation of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).

At the event, the chairman of Ease of Doing Business Council and Commissioner for Finance, Dr Hauwa Nuru, said the session was to deepen public understanding about the ongoing business reforms, strengthen collaboration, and drive the reform agenda that will shape the future of governance and enterprise in the state.

“Kwara under Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has made remarkable progress by implementing wide-ranging reforms to improve the business environment, promote transparency, and strengthen service delivery to citizens and investors.

“This technical workshop offers us the opportunity to review the current reform roadmap, understand the technical requirements of Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLI), strengthen our implementation strategies to ensure we meet and exceed SEBER performance targets, among other goals,” she said.

She added that through SABER, the state has clear opportunities to enhance the efficiency of land administration and business registration, improve the effectiveness of investment promotion and PPP frameworks.

Dr Nuru stressed that SABAR will also give the opportunity to streamline the use of technology in procurement, tax administration, and service delivery; and promote measurable transparency and accountability in governance.

She commended the PEBEC team for a meaningful collaboration and the EODBC members for their tireless efforts towards realising objectives of the Council in the state.

Commissioner for Communications in the state, Bola Olukoju, said the government leverages social media platforms to give more information about its activities, monitor feedback, and ensure robust engagements with different segments of the society.

The chairman of Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS), Mrs Folashade Omoniyi, said the government was creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.

Also, Director General of PEBEC, Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu, who was represented by Mr Shima Kennedy, said the Council has a mandate to deliver Nigeria’s business environment reform, with the dual mandate to remove bureaucratic and legislative constraints to doing business and to improve the perception about ease of doing business in Nigeria.