Amechi Ogbonna

As part of efforts to increase internally generated revenue and create jobs for its citizens, the State of Osun said it is working to further improve the operating environment for investors willing to open businesses in the state.

Its Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, who said this at a briefing to signal the maiden Economic Summit scheduled to hold in Osogbo from November 19 -21, 2019, explained that measures have been taken  to enhance the Ease of Doing Business in the state for prospective investors wishing to partner the government to exploit its vast solid mineral resources including gold, talc and granite among others.

The governor said his administration would work with the private sector within and outside the country to develop industrial parks to handle value chain businesses in agriculture, solid minerals mining, tourism development among other critical sectors.

Part of the his economic reconstruction agenda anchored on four objectives  of economic development, infrastructure development human capital and sustainable environment would be  to concession the airport project initiated by the immediate past Governor Rauf Aregbesola to private investors who would complete and manage it over 25 and 30 years before transfering to the govrenment so as to make resources available for other key areas.

Governor Oyetola said the state has no immediate plans to inject more funds into the airport project in view of other competing needs.

Already, the governor said his administration has, as part of measures to improve the ease of doing business, created a land bank to facilitate access to land by investors without interference with land owners who often make things difficult for investors.

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Other incentives awaiting investors in the state according to the governor include getting certificate of occupancy within 90 days, tax incentives and a minimum of 18 hours of power supply to run the industrial facilities with Osun housing one of the largest power transmissions stations in the country.

Oyetola who came to the briefing with his deputy and commissioners, said he remains committed to making  the state a preferred investment destination of sort using the four pillars of economic development, infrastructure development, human development and sustainable environment.

He said: “ Osun is ready and open for business and that is why we are holding an Economic Summit  from November 19 – 21. We are trying to expose the state to the local and global business community because of its rich economic potential. The state has huge potential in agriculture and was a leading producer of cocoa which was one of Nigeria’s main export crops before the discovery of oil.

“We have abundant minerals including gold, talc and others,. We have the highest number of tertiary institutions in the country which enables us to build an ICT hub and we want to invest in conversion of waste to wealth and we want to drive all these through Public Private Partnership.”

The governor also pointed out that Osun retains its tag as the most peaceful state in the federation.

On efforts to sanitise the cadastral mining activities in the state, the governor said he has commenced the registration and standardisation of artisanal miners to flush out criminal elements in the system adding that it has also signed a memorandum of understanding with a Canadian publicly quoted company for commercial mining of gold and other solid minierals deposits in the state.