Determined to make Ogun State a destination of choice for both local and foreign investors, the Senator Ibikunle Amosun-led administration has been unrelenting in providing an enabling environment that would not only make their businesses thrive, but also make living more abundant for such investors and residents alike. Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Barrister Yusuph Olaniyonu made this assertion today in Abeokuta at a meeting with officials of the German Embassy and GIZ (Deutsche Gesellshaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) who are in the State on tour of development projects. According to Olaniyonu, the State Government had in the last two and half years been painstaking in executing its 5-cardinal programmes meant to revive and rebuild the State’s socio-economic life which had hitherto been comatose. He noted that to ease movement of goods, government has embarked on massive construction of roads worth N200b across the State, revealing that the Ilo-Awela road alone has created job for about 600 artisans. Olaniyonu also recalled that in fulfillment of one of his electioneering promises, the Governor had facilitated employment for over 10,000 people both within and outside the State civil service, indicating that gesture alone had gone a long way to reduce the high rate of unemployment in the State. Speaking further, the Commissioner said government had also embarked on several initiatives in the agricultural sector which in turn is expected to produce crops for both domestic and industrial consumption. These initiatives he said included the Owowo model farm, 50 hectare cashew plantation in Afon, rice plantation in Eggua, cassava multiplication farm in Ibiade fish tanks across the three senatorial districts among others. On micro credit financing, the Information Commissioner told the German officials that the State in collaboration with the Bank of Industry had floated a billion loan scheme from which about 4,000 individuals and cooperative groups have benefitted, while the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development had also disbursed over N300 million credit facilities to about 10,000 women entrepreneurs to enhance their businesses. Also speaking, his counterpart in the Urban and Physical Planning Ministry, Mr. Adebayo Fari, said lesser time is now being spent by industrialists and individuals interested in establishing businesses to process and obtain relevant land documents. He said this is a result of a deliberate step by government to further attract investors and urged the German officials to always consider the State in its training programmes, saying this would enhance policy development and implementation as this would benefit the state in terms of implementing development policy in the State. On her part, the Special Adviser to the Governor, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Nike Aboderin pointed out that the State has become a fast growing economy, saying “we have industrial policy to employ indigenes and make use of local artisans such as plumbers, welders, bricklayers etc” She contended that training of these artisans would help the investment of investors. Responding, the German Embassy representative, Mr. Dirk Schulz who spoke on behalf of GIZ team, said that the team brought in SMEDAN programme to support small, micro and medium-scale enterprises operating in the State, noting that the team is engaging in an intensive interaction with the State government on how it could support the State for socio-economic development. Similarly, Mr. Christian Widmann of the GIZ said they came around to ascertain how the State government has been benefiting, saying GIZ is considering trade and investment training programme as another key area to support the State workforce.
Everyone has been seeing certain changes in the state that were honestly not there before. Very good one i must confess