President Muhammadu Buhari on
Saturday described state governments as key allies for successful businesses in
the country.
Buhari made the statement at the
opening of the 40th Kaduna International Trade Fair, organised by the Kaduna
Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
reports that the fair had the theme, “Consolidating Interface Between Industry
and Agriculture for Nigeria’s Sustainable Development”.
Buhari, who was represented at
the occasion by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Okechukwu
Enelama, said that the commitment of state governments was required for
businesses to stay on course.
“For instance, we rely on state
governments to provide access to land, act as mediators in conflict prevention
and resolution, link local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to the supply
chains of processing companies.
“States also provide the needed
infrastructure to link farms to processing plants and markets, and above all,
provide a conducive environment for businesses and their host communities to
thrive.
“I am glad to say that we have
such a partner in the Kaduna State Government,” he said.
He gave the assurance that the
Federal Government would continue to engage KADCCIMA and the organised private
sector to catalyse investment and improve the ease of doing business.
According to him, agriculture
contributes 25.5 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP and almost 50 per cent of its labour
force.
“But we continue to face the
challenge of meeting domestic food requirements, providing raw materials for
the manufacturing sector and export.
“Therefore, creating a strong
linkage between agriculture and industry is a sure way of bringing about
sustainable growth by creating new jobs, improving value addition.
“The move will also create wealth
for farming communities, improve manufacturing output and enable roll-out of
infrastructure around farming communities which will industrialise our country
in the long run,” he said.
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com