The Enugu State Ease of Business (EoDB) Council has described the economic programme as one of the key legacies Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi will be bequeathing to the people of the State at the end of his administration.
The Council added that Enugu State under Gov. Ugwuanyi’s watch was about the first to commence the reform process of Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) in Nigeria, stressing that the innovative programme had yielded the desired positive results in promoting and growing businesses in the State.
Speaking during the Council meeting and workshop with the Technical Working Group on EoDB, at the Government House, Enugu, the Reform Champion and Secretary of the EoDB Council, Dr. Sam Ogbu-Nwobodo, applauded Gov. Ugwuanyi, who is the Chairman of the Council, for participating in the workshop aimed at strengthening the reform process of the body for optimal results towards the socio-economic advancement of the state.
Dr. Ogbu-Nwobodo, who is also the Director General of Enugu State Ease of Doing Business (EoDB), maintained that Gov. Ugwuanyi’s administration through EoDB has made good strides and received remarkable commendations from reputable institutions and organizations about how businesses are being supported in the state.
Recall that in 2019, the then Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah and the then National President of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Iyalode Alaba Lawson, commended Gov. Ugwuanyi for his administration’s innovative measures and steadfastness in enhancing the Ease of Doing Business in Enugu State.
The duo congratulated the governor for Enugu State’s impressive rating as second in the list of the five most reformed states on Ease of Doing Business in the country in 2018.
Enugu was rated as the second most advanced state in Nigeria on the Ease of Doing Business by the World Bank Group.
Consequently, Kaduna, Enugu, Abia, Lagos and Anambra states were rewarded at the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) Awards 2019 for being top reformed states in ease of doing business in 2018. The awards were presented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at the Old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Speaking further at the Council meeting in Enugu, the DG of Enugu State EoDB, Dr. Ogbu-Nwobodo, thanked Gov. Ugwuanyi for his steadfastness in making Enugu State conducive for businesses to thrive.
Dr. Ogbu-Nwobodo also acknowledged the support Gov. Ugwuanyi has been giving the Council to drive the reform process in Enugu State, adding that the governor’s recent approval for the state to engage one of the top consultants in the country (Drakkevista Global Services, Lagos) in advancing the reform process of EoDB is yielding the desired positive results.
The DG reassured Gov. Ugwuanyi of the firm commitment of the Council to fully actualize his administration’s vision of not just providing critical infrastructure in the state but also creating wealth and the enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
Dr. Ogbu-Nwobodo disclosed that the outcome of the workshop, which was anchored by the Partner and Principal Consultant of Drakkevista Global Services, Lagos, David Uzosike, as the Resource Person, was revealing, stating that “what is obvious is that many of the things we need to do, we are already doing them”.
He expressed delight that “Enugu State is one of the nine states out of the 37 Sub-national governments to approve and implement the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and World Bank recommendation of N145 per linear meter Right of Way (ROW) charge for laying of fiber optical cable by the Internet service providers in the state”.
