LCCI hails FG on Ease of Doing Business

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has commended the giant strides of the Federal Government towards the improvement of the business environment.
The LCCI said the creation of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), chaired by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, with Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah as Vice Chairman, underscores the importance the government attaches to business environment issues and by extension private sector development.
The Chamber in a statement by its President, Dr. (Mrs.) Nike Akande, noted that improvements in the business environment will impact positively and significantly on the productivity, prosperity and progress of Nigeria’s private sector.
“We expect that the PEBEC initiative will remove the numerous obstacles and barriers, which have been a source of frustration to entrepreneurs,” the Chamber said. According to Akande, the initiative would reposition the private sector to play a much more important role in the economic recovery process.
She said the Organised Private Sector (OPS) applauded the 60-day national action plan for ease of doing business as articulated by government.
The LCCI President highlighted government’s actions worth commendable,  including the “reduction in the time required for business registration at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) with the upgrade of its online portal; reduction in the period it takes for product registration by relevant regulatory agencies of government; transparency and inclusiveness in the procurement processes; reduction in the number of agencies examining cargoes at the ports and commitment to the introduction of single window for cargo clearance by the end of the year; streamlining the immigration procedures and processes to reduce the bureaucracy of issuing passports and visas, as well as issuance of visa on arrival; upgrading of the websites of MDAs and commitment to the improvement of the ambience of the international airports.
The Chamber also commended the progress made in the engagement of the Niger Delta stakeholders, stating that the country has witnessed some respite from attacks on oil installations in recent times.