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Tag: Ease of Doing Business

  • We have attained 70 per cent success in ease of doing business action plan – FG

    The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council has completed a 60-day national action plan with 70 per cent of success and has started the second 60-day national action plan.

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo disclosed this in an interview after opening “The Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Forum 2017’’ in Lagos on Saturday.

    He stated that the government had a lot of benchmarks and very aggressive timelines on what it wanted to do.

    “We are seeing a lot of progress on ease of doing business but it is an evolving work; but there has been a great deal of success.

    “We think the ease of doing business is entirely strategic to the successes of businesses and of cause the success of our own economy; so it is priority for us,’’ he stated.

    The Vice President observed that the only way to avoid lack of consistency in the agenda was to have governments that were serious in what it was doing.

    “As far as the government of Nigeria is concerned today we are very serious and committed to the programmes being implemented.

    “We have ensured that we have timelines, we have thresholds and set all types of the right parameters for doing what we need to do and we are doing it consistently.”

    While declaring the Forum open earlier, Osinbajo had asked the youths drawn from no fewer than 55 African countries to escape from the perceived failures of their past history and focus on the future for the continent’s prosperity.

    The Vice President’s remarks titled “The Tyranny of History’’ identified the problems posed by dependence on the past history of the continent.

    “Our past failures can become a barrier to progress and freedom,’’ he declared.

    Accordingly, he said that history of Africa should not determine the future because the present is better than the past.

    The initiator of the forum, Mr Tony Elumelu noted that the African continent was surrounded by poverty while the youth needed jobs to have economic hope.

    “There are so many uncertainties about the future and the continent has not made much progress in entrepreneurship.’’

    Elumelu said that between 2006 and 2016 capital inflows into the continent was nearly half a trillion dollars but did not change the basic human development index.

    He stated that the youth escaped to Europe in search of greener pastures through dangerous routes and some got drowned in the Mediterranean while the survivors were subjected to inhuman treatments.

    He urged the youth to take the initiatives to liberate and develop the continent.

    “Africa remains underdeveloped and a new development model is needed,’’ he said, adding that it informed the creation of the foundation with seed capital of $100 million for 10 years to assist entrepreneurs.

     

     

    NAN

     

  • Ease of doing business: FG begins 60-day action plan

    The Federal Government will on October 2 begin another 60 days action plan on the ease of doing business in the country.

    Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah, stated this at the end of an expanded Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The meeting was chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

    Enelamah said: “We have had a very success enabling business environment council meeting. It was an expanded meeting where the Chief Justice of Nigeria was there, representative of senate president, Lagos and Kano governments and all the key ministers and heads of agencies were there.

    “It was a stock taking meeting. We have taken stock of what we have achieved already, the journey so far with a plan on the way forward, the idea being that we want to have a second round of the national action plan which is is even more ambitious than the first one. We really want to make it easy for people to do business in Nigeria.” he said

    Secretary of PEBEC Dr. Jumoke Oduwole said the National Competitiveness Council of Nigeria is collaborating with the council on the subnational project.

    According to her, the council is working with all the states and the FCT in order to make sure that the states are involved.

    She said “We are taking ease of doing business state wise. And we are collaborating widely with the private sector, all state governments, the National Assembly.

    “We are going to have an omnibus bill that will wrap up all the irritant but most importantly, we are lunching a new 60-day action plan starting from 2nd of October running to the 30th of November and we are going to have the press pack that will contain all the reforms that all the MDAs are going to be working on.

    “It’s going to be a very exciting time and we are looking forward to tangible deliverables for the Nigerian people.

    “We are targeting SMEs. We want the business climate to be simpler, you don’t need to know anybody to do business effectively in Nigeria. Larger companies ally of the time have different kinds of problems, we want systemic change for small and medium size enterprises. We had the acting DG of NAFDAC, DEC, DG of SON, we had heads of police, immigration, customs, ports authority, the airport, the judiciary”, she said.

    Senator Bala Ibin Na’allah, who represented the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said the National Assembly would not fail to support moves to ease doing business in Nigeria.

  • Ease of Doing Business: IGP orders immediate dismantling of roadblocks nationwide

    The Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Idris has ordered the immediate dismantling of all roadblocks nationwide.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that some of the routes where the order is expected to take effect include; Lagos-Ibadan, Shagamu-Benin, Benin-Onitsha, Okene-Abuja, Kaduna-Kano, Katsina – Kano, Otukpo – Enugu, Enugu – Port Harcourt Express Ways and others.

    The police in a statement in Abuja yesterday by the Force Spokesman, CSP Jimoh Moshood explained that the dismantling would enable ease of doing business in Nigeria, adding that it would safeguard, and guarantee free passage of goods and travelers throughout the country.

    The IG also said no Police department, section, squad or unit should mount road block without express permission from him.

    The statement read: “Consequently, Assistant Inspectors General of Police in charge of Zonal Commands, Commissioners of Police in charge of State Commands, Heads of Departments, must ensure that every patrol vehicle in their respective Formation carries a conspicuous and legible inscription of Patrol vehicle identification number, and dedicated emergency Phone numbers for ease of identification and report of distress by members of the public.

    “The Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Border patrol of the Force is specifically directed to ensure compliance with this directive along the Border routes in the country except the few approved points by the Federal Government.

    “Furthermore, Police personnel who involve in vehicular Patrol on highways and major roads across the country must wear on their uniforms a bold name tag and service number”

    The Statement also said the Special X-Squad teams of the Force have been deployed throughout the country and they are under strict instructions to arrest, investigate and discipline any Police personnel flouting the order.

    “The IGP has also directed the Special X-Squads to embark on removal of other forms of illegal blockage and obstructions on Highways and Roads, created by unlawful Revenue/Tax collectors, Road Transport Unions, Labour and Trade related unions inhibiting vehicular movement and smooth passage of passengers and goods, and other road users across the country.

    “For avoidance of doubt, the Taxes and Levies act, Laws of Federation of Nigeria 2004 section 2 (2) disallowed any person, including a Tax Authority from mounting a Road block in any part of the Federation for the purposes of collecting any Tax or Levy”.

     

  • Maritime sector strategic for investors – Amaechi

    Maritime sector strategic for investors – Amaechi

    …as Dakuku assures of conducive environment

    The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has stated that the Nigerian maritime sector is a haven of opportunities for the world maritime industry to tap into.

    The Minister who made this known while speaking at the “Africa@Nor” session of the recently concluded Nor-Shipping 2017 which held at Lillstrome, Norway, assured the audience that Nigeria is a strategic destination for investment opportunities, stressing that Nigeria epitomizes a broad spectrum of the continent in Africa.

    “Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa with about 183 million people and by extension, with the cumulative population of two Landlocked countries of Chad Republic which is 14.9m people and Niger Republic with 21.3m people creates a huge consuming market and comparable cheap labour”, he said.

    Amaechi also used the opportunity to assure the Nor-Shipping participants that the anti-corruption stance of the Federal Government and the establishment of the National Trade Data Centre are expected to eliminate inherent corporate governance abuses and assured investors that they will have good returns on their investments.

    In the area of security, he stated that the enhanced synergies between the various arms of security Agencies have resulted in efficient performance.

    “I wish to assure you that the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration is committed to ensuring that Nigeria becomes a maritime hub for the West and Central Africa sub region, we therefore call on both local and international investors to join hands with us in enhancing Nigeria’s per capital income by supporting the various developmental initiatives”, he said.

    In the same vein, the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dakuku Peterside stated that Nigeria as a maritime nation is endowed by nature with over 850 kilometers of coastline.

    He further pointed out that the country has six modern port complexes and a fast developing intermodal transport system as well as abundant trained workforce combined with a standard regulatory regime amongst others which are benefits accruable to investing in the Nigeria maritime sector.

    According to the DG “We are bounded by two land locked countries of Chad and Niger, so we are not just serving goods coming into Nigeria, we are also serving goods going to Chad and Niger” Dakuku averred.

    He hinted that Nigeria will soon take delivery of the fifth largest floating dock in Africa, which is expected to be delivered by the last quarter of the year.

    In addition, as part of the efforts to ease doing business in Nigeria, Dakuku informed the audience that the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) was established to fast track investment entry into Nigeria, among which is the commencement of a 24-hour ports operations.

    The NIMASA DG also identified the key areas of achieving a hub status such as; putting the right infrastructure in place, right regulatory regime and a proper maritime security.

    He said that, “Nigeria has not only put the right infrastructure in place, but has put the right regulatory regime and also a set of incentives to make us a hub. So, talk about stability, you can say Nigeria has it, and the government is also working on intermodal transport system to facilitate the ease of doing business and of course good regulatory regime.”

    Nor-Shipping is a bi-annual event that brings together Stakeholders in the maritime sector from various continents aimed at improving the global maritime sector. The event also featured exhibitions amongst others. The main theme for this year’s event is “Catalyst for Change”.

     

  • Osinbajo signs 3 executive orders to ease business

    Osinbajo signs 3 executive orders to ease business

    The Acting President on Thursday signed three executive orders to open up the choked business environment in the country.

    The signing was the climax of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) meeting at the Conference Hall of the Presidential Villa meant to engage government officials who would be implementing the orders and the new instructions.

    The orders are to ease business, fast track budget submission and promote Made-in-Nigeria products.

    The orders would promote transparency and efficiency in the business environment, support local contents in public procurement by the Federal Government, and ensure timely submission of annual budgetary estimates by statutory and non-statutory agencies

    The executive orders also stipulate sanctions and punitive measures meant to address violations.

    On the promotion of transparency and efficiency in the business environment every Ministry, Department and Agency (MDA) should publish a complete list of all requirements or conditions for obtaining products and services.

    The mandate includes permits, licenses, waivers, tax related processes, filings and approvals which include all fees and timelines required for the processing of applications for the products and services.

    The MDAs are required to henceforth conspicuously paste such on their premises and publish same on their website within 21 days from the date of issuance of the order.

    It shall be the responsibility of the head of the relevant MDA to ensure that the list is verified and kept up-to-date at all times.

    The order stated that where the relevant agency or official failed to communicate approval or rejection of an application within the time stipulated in the published list it shall be deemed to have got default approval.

    As a result, all applications for business registrations, certification, waivers, licenses or permits not concluded within the stipulated timeline shall be deemed approved and granted.

    However, where applications are rejected within the stipulated timeline, all rejections shall be given with reasons clearly stated.

    Rejections of applications shall be tracked and accurate records kept at all times for each MDA and shall be submitted to the head of the MDA on a weekly basis.

    Failure of the appropriate officer to act on any application within the timeline stipulated, without lawful excuse, shall amount to misconduct.

    Such act would be subject to appropriate disciplinary proceedings in accordance with the law and regulations applicable to the civil or public service.

    On the One-Government-Directive an MDA that requires input documentation, requirements or conditions from another MDA shall only request for photocopy of the original document.

    Also Service Level Agreements shall be binding on MDAs and shall be relied upon by MDAs in the issuance of published stipulated timelines for processing of applications for the products and services.

    On the Entry Experience of Visitors ordinary tourist and business entry visas to Nigeria shall henceforth be issued or rejected with reason by the Consular Office of Nigerian Embassies and High Commissions within 48 hours of receipt of valid application.

    The timeline shall be notified to the public by pasting a notice conspicuously at every Consular Office and by publication on every website of Nigerian Embassies and High Commissions.

    In that regard, a comprehensive and up to date list of requirements, conditions and procedures for obtaining visa on arrival, including estimated timeframe, shall be published on all immigration-related websites in Nigeria, abroad and all ports of entry into Nigeria.

    The order directs that there shall be no touting whatsoever by official or unofficial persons at any port in Nigeria while on-duty staff shall be properly identified by uniform and official cards.

    Similarly, non-official staff shall be removed from the secured areas of airports while officials of FAAN, Immigration, security agency or Ministry of Foreign Affairs or any other agency are barred from meeting any non-designated dignitary at any secure areas of the airport.

    The order stipulated that any official caught soliciting or receiving bribes from passengers or other port users shall be subject to immediate removal from post and disciplinary action as well as prosecution.

    The order requires that each port in Nigeria shall assign an existing export terminal to be dedicated to the exportation of agriculture produce within 30 days of the issuance of the order while the Apapa Port shall resume 24-hour operations also within same 30 days.

    With respect to registration of businesses, the Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) shall within 14 days of the issuance of the order ensure that all registration processes at the CAC are fully automated.

    On support for local contents in public procurement by the Federal Government, all MDAs shall grant preference to local manufacturers of goods and service providers in their procurement of goods and services.

    Made-in-Nigeria products shall be given preference in the procurement of Uniforms and Footwear; Food and Beverages; Furniture and Fittings; Stationery; Motor Vehicles; Pharmaceuticals; Construction Materials; and Information and Communication Technology.

    In all items at least 40 per cent of the procurement expenditure shall be locally manufactured goods or local service providers.

    On budgets, all Agencies, whether or not listed in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, shall, on or before end of May every year, prepare and submit to the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Budget and National Planning their schedule of revenue and expenditure estimates for the next three financial years.

    All Agencies shall, on or before the end of July every year, also, prepare and submit their annual budget estimates, which shall be derived from the estimates of revenue and expenditure as projected in their three-year schedule.

    A joint committee of the Ministries of Finance, and the Budget and National Planning shall review such estimates and ensure their conformity with the national plan and the financial and budgetary regulations before processing them for approval and early transmission to the National Assembly.

    The order stipulated that except with the consent of the President, no payment shall be made in respect of any capital or recurrent liability of an Agency other than payment of due salaries and allowances, unless the Agency has an approved budget and the payment conforms with the approval.

    Heads of Agencies and Chief Executive Officers of Government owned companies shall take personal responsibility and be subject to appropriate sanctions for any failure to comply with the executive order effective May 18.

  • Ease of Doing Business: FG adopts simple documentation procedures at seaports

    Ease of Doing Business: FG adopts simple documentation procedures at seaports

    The Federal Government, through the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), has approved the reduction of documentation procedures of imports and exports in Nigerian ports.

    Mr Anthony Ayalogu, a Deputy Comptroller of Customs and Desk Officer in charge of Ease of Doing Business, disclosed this at a two-day sensitisation workshop on Ease of Doing Business Reform held on Thursday in Ikeja, Lagos.

    The workshop was meant to help improve Nigeria’s ranking in the World Bank’s Doing Business Index in 2018.

    Ayalogu explained that documentation of imports had reduced from 14 to eight stages, while export documentation had reduced from 10 to seven.

    According to him, Cargo Release Order, Manufacturers’ Certificate of Production, Payment Receipt of Customs Fee; among others, have been removed from documentation.

    Ayalogu said the new imports and exports procedures include: palletising all containerised consignments coming into Nigeria for easy clearance.

    He said: “Used spare parts must be packed in cases and the cases would be packed in pallets.

    “The packing list of the containers must be itemised as the goods are arranged in the containers.

    “Vehicles imports should have the complete 17 digits Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) inscribed on the Bill of Lading. All form `M’ goods should have the Form `M’ number stated on the Bill of Lading.

    “All diplomatic goods should be indicated on the Bill of Lading,’’ he said.

    Dr Jumoke Oduwole, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry, Trade and Investment, had earlier said trading across borders involved obtaining credits, paying taxes and having access to electricity supply.

    According to her, these are key indices of the reforms initiated by PEBEC.

    Oduwole said the reform was basically to transform Nigeria to a progressive and easier place of doing business and to move the country 20 steps ahead in ranking in terms of ease of doing business.

    She also said that PEBEC had implemented an upgrade of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) online portal to ensure document upload capabilities.

    Oduwole said this would create room for new businesses to be fully registered online without having to visit the CAC office.

    “The PEBEC is supported by a small-scale task force responsible for driving the reform agenda and ensuring implementation across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

    “Nigeria ranked 169 out of 190 on Doing Business Ranking of the World Bank. In trading across borders, is a worse indicator as Nigeria ranks 182 out of 190.

    “This administration has taken it upon itself to work with government agencies to introduce palletised containers of imports,’’ Oduwole said.

    She said that the whole idea is to make business more convenient for processing of both exports and imports.

    Mr Sule Alu, an Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Tariffs and Trade, said the forum was meant to improve Customs mandate on trade facilitation.

    Alu said that the idea of the reform was to engage stakeholders in the operations of “Ease of Doing Business’’.

    He said that the reform was a holistic approach which needed everyone’s participation for government to achieve its mandate of reducing the time of doing business at the ports.

    Also speaking, the Customs Area Comptroller, Tin-Can Island Customs Command, Comptroller Umar Bashar, urged both Customs officers and stakeholders to continue to display transparency in cargo clearance processes.

    Bashar said that before now, cargo were palletised but now nobody cares about how the cargo would be processed until the consignments were damaged before getting to the ports of destination.

    “We are giving opportunities to the shipping companies to just dump cargo in Nigerian ports because we do not care about world best practices.

    “Ease of Doing Business is all about transparency, integrity of data and having the love of the country at heart,’’ Bashar said.

    The controller, however, implored stakeholders to improve on training in order to spend less time on cargo clearance.

     

     

    NAN