Muhammad Alabira Nabordo
The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has commended Jigawa State for its efforts in creating a conducive business environment, ranking second in the country in 2023.
This was revealed in a two different seasons program held recently in Dutse, Jigawa State capital by the Federal Information Centre Dutse.
The Technical Session was held with government officials and the PEBEC Team, while the round table session was with the private sector.
Governor Malam Umar Namadi who was represented at the Town Hall meeting said the administration has been working to improve the state’s business climate through various initiatives.
He said the state’s investment promotion agency, Jigawa Invest, provides necessary information and support to businesses, both local and foreign.
Deputy Governor Eng. Aminu Usman revealed that Jigawa State has invested over N5 billion in the Bank of Industry to support small and medium-sized businesses, offering simple conditions for easy access to loans.
He said the state government is also providing free land to investors and assisting with compensation issues.
During a recent technical session with PEBEC, Dr. Bello Adewale highlighted the importance of peer learning, stakeholder dialogue, and awareness of state-level deliverables in enhancing business environments.
Also the PEBEC team, led by Dr. Adewale, engaged with government officials and private sector stakeholders in a two-day program, discussing ways to strengthen ease of doing business in Jigawa State.
The session concluded with a Q&A segment, where questions were raised about accessing presentation materials and sharing information with grassroots stakeholders.
The SABER program, a $750 million World Bank-supported initiative, aimed at incentivizing state-level reforms and improve Nigeria’s business climate.
With 33 states and the FCT signing the Subsidiary Loan Agreement, the program has shown promising results, with 28 states receiving between $1 million and $4 million in prior results disbursements.
