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From Adetutu Folashade-Koyi and Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, on Friday, said that Nigerians would begin the see and feel the fruit of the actions and policies of the Federal Government geared towards revamping of the economy.
She thus appealed for more patients and support from Nigerians, even as government navigate through the process of fixing the economy which will, expectedly, result in significant drop in inflation and ensure price stability for goods and services.
The Minister made the appeal in Abuja, during the Ministering briefing organized by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, to inform Nigerians about the activities of government in different sectors of the economy.
She said that efforts are on to improve on the ease of doing business in Nigeria, by providing conducive environment for private sector operators to thrive, thus creating jobs and wealth across the path. “Undoubtedly, risk of investment and business in Nigeria is higher than expected. Nevertheless, the government is determined to improve on what was met.”
She described the decision of the President to remove fuel subsidy as the bold step that only a leader with good intentions could take to salvage the economy of Nigeria from imminent collapse.
She, however, neutralized the believe of some Nigerians that some foreign companies are leaving the country because of harsh operating environment. “That information is not correct. What’s truly happening is that these companies are re-tooling and re-purposing, while some others are even expanding their operations in Nigeria.
“We are working on improving of the manpower needs of these foreign companies and other local ones, in line with the skill needs of the 21st century work environment. The youths are being re-skilled and up-skilled to tackle issue of unemployment and underemployment”
She confirmed the launch of Nigerian Trade Policy 2023-2027, which is geared at stimulating the domestic economy by connecting Nigerian SMEs to the global value chain, thereby ensuring that Nigerian businesses have the capacity to be globally competitive.
She announced that the Ministry of Industry will soon launch the National Trade Intelligence Unit in collaboration with other MDAs, that will serve as national coordinator and focal point for all trade related data and information in Nigeria.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, in his remarks, explained that the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, is critical to the economic plans of the government.
“Its mandate is focused around six pillars of growth, which are; support and facilitation to improve ease of doing business; development of policies and reforms; increased access to financing; increased access to global markets; driving investments; and job creation which all play a significant role in the delivery of President’s eight-point agenda.”
