GEMS3’s Business Licencing Registration (BLR) intervention is supporting the advancement of Kaduna state’s business and investment environment. ADAM ALQALI writes on how it seeks to achieve this
The Growth and Employment in States (GEMS3) programme, which is supporting efforts for the realization of an improved business environment in Nigeria, in a partnership with the Kaduna State Investment Promotion Agency (KADIPA), recently launched its Business Licencing Registration (BLR) intervention in Kaduna state.
The Growth and Employment in States (GEMS3) programme, which is being implemented at federal level and the states of Lagos, Jigawa, Cross River, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Katsina and Plateau in Nigeria is jointly funded by the European Union and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID).
Speaking at the launch, GEMS3’s Business Licensing Reforms Manager Leslie Emegbuonye said the intervention which was being funded by the European Union was aimed at “improving the business licencing system by streamlining the various licenses required by businesses to participate in selected sectors, and harmonizing the procedures for acquiring these licences within reasonable time and at reasonable cost.
“The BLR intervention whose initial focus is at federal level and the states of Kano and Kaduna work to eliminate licences that no longer serve a regulatory purpose, that carry unbearably high compliance costs, or that are duplicated across government agencies. We work in collaboration with the government, regulatory agencies and the private sector,” said Leslie Emegbuonye.
Speaking at the launch, the executive governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai, promised to make GEMS3’s Business Licencing and Registration intervention a success in the state of Kaduna adding that the state was committed to making business easier towards boosting its revenue generation for economic development.
“The Kaduna state government can only employ 10% of our population and about 80% of Kaduna state’s population is youth, majority of who are either unemployed or even unemployable. We also understand the nexus between youth unemployment and insecurity, therefore, the private sector has to shoulder the responsibility of providing employment to majority of our youth,” said El-Rufai who was speaking through his deputy, Barnabas Bala Bantex.
Also speaking at the launch, GEMS3’s National Team Leader Ana Vinambres said the GEMS3 programme has succeeded in increasing the income of over 3 million enterprises and families in Nigeria adding that the programme was committed to improving the business investment climate of Nigeria; from federal down to state local levels.
In his speech, Juan Casla, the head of economic cooperation and energy of the European Union delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS described Kaduna as one of the most dynamic states in Nigeria and commended the Kaduna state government for taking a substantial step towards reforming its economy.
“Kaduna state needs to diversify its economy, reliance on oil revenues is not sufficient and to achieve this it has to minimise the cost and time of dealing with regulations for businesses. The European Union sees Nigeria as a critical partner in West Africa and a key player in Africa,” said Juan Casla, who represented EU at the launch.
GEMS3’s BLR intervention in Kaduna will focus on four focal sectors of the economy; wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing (food and drugs), building construction and transportation, which will be carried out by a team of technical and legal experts.
By working with stakeholders in both the public and private sectors of Nigeria’s economy, at federal, state and local levels, GEMS3 has managed to successfully build and deliver a systematic framework that made it easier for people to do business in Nigeria’s states of Lagos,
Jigawa, Cross River, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Katsina and Plateau, including the poor and women in business, who seem to have been accorded a special attention by the programme.
From 2012 to date, the European Union-funded GEMS3 programme (being managed by Adam Smith International) has been working with public and private sector stakeholders at national, state and LGA levels to build and deliver a systematic framework that will make it easier to do business in Nigeria and lead to lasting improvements in economic opportunities for the poor, especially.
