By Bimbola Oyesola
The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, yesterday, said the success being experienced in the state is as a result of various innovative policies embarked upon by the governmemt.
Ambode said the innovations are why Nigeria moved 24 steps higher from 169 to 145 in the World Bank’s Global Doing Business Ranking.
Speaking at the Lagos State Special Day at the just-concluded Lagos International Trade Fair, he said, “innovative policies of facilitating access to credits, especially for our teeming small businesses through direct disbursements by the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund and collaborations with other public and private finance providers are part of the reasons the state has recorded immense success.
“Asides provision of credits, we have focused on provisions of market access for MSMEs and creation of economic zones including small scale industrial estates, industrial parks and clusters down to the flagship free trade zone, the Lekki Free Zone.
“We have encouraged skilled labour development and establishment of partnerships for entrepreneurship development, technology and innovation, especially among the youth and women populace.”
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Tunji Bello, he said the state is open to investors as infrastructure overhaul, especially over the past two years, is aimed at enhancing business prosperity and accelerating industrial revitalisation.
“Blessed with a buoyant private sector-led economy, qualitative physical infrastructure, formidable legal and regulatory institutions as well as enviable human capital comprising 60 per cent labour force out of a population of over 22 million people, Lagos State is indeed the discerning investor’s delight.
“As captured by the maiden National Competitiveness Report and Sub-National Index, our state remains strong and atop with a total revenue generation of N302 billion compared to federal allocations of N178 billion in 2016, which translates to 169 per cent.”
LCCI President, Mrs Nike Akande commended the Lagos state government for the various initiatives embarked upon while saying she looks forward to Lagos state competing with top cities across the world in terms of infrastructure and livability.
Akande said the chamber is calling for consistency in the ongoing reforms driven to achieve industrialisation, boost non oil export, attract foreign direct investment and create a more conducive business environment.
She called on Ambode to provide a permanent trade fair venue for the chamber which will cement the status of the fair and stop the challenges of creating temporary structures and rental of tents for the fair.