Dipo Olowookere
By Dipo Olowookere
The Oyo State government is looking to harness the natural resources at its disposal for the revitalisation of the economy by making the business environment conducive for investors.
Addressing stakeholders at the Western Hall, Secretariat, Ibadan, the Commissioner for Trade, Industry, Investment and Cooperatives, Mr Olasunkanmi Olaleye, said the resources would be put into effective use in order to expand industrialisation potentials for progress and development in the state.
At the quarterly meeting with the Oyo State Council of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OYCCIMA) and other Organised Private Sectors in Oyo State, Mr Olaleye said Oyo State can be an economic hub because of its closeness to Lagos State.
He explained that the purpose of the quarterly meeting was to encourage interaction among relevant stakeholders, interest groups and government with a view to ensuring a virile business environment conducive to productive investments in the state.
According to him, the Ministry has put in place laudable programmes and projects aimed to revive the economy, including the development of entrepreneurial skills among the youths and women and the proposed construction of an Industrial Cluster within Akinyele Local Government, Ibadan in collaboration with Technology Incubation Centre (TIC).
The Commissioner said the Ministry was fully geared up to celebrate with other African countries the Africa Industrialisation Day slated for November 20.
The day is set aside by the United Nations (UN) to raise awareness regarding the industrialisation challenges faced by the continent.
He, therefore, admonished stakeholders and federal agencies to reach out to rural areas by taking their programmes and activities to these communities that don’t put priority on social media but make use of the old analogue way of communicating.
Present at the gathering were representatives of the Small Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Raw Material Research Development Council (RMRDC), Technology Incubation Centre (TIC) and Oyo State Investment Public-Private Partnership Agency (OYSIPPPA).
Others were representatives of the Oyo State Council of Chambers of Commerce (OYCCIMA), Manufacturer Association of Nigeria (MAN), National Council of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Youth Entrepreneur and National Association of Small and Medium-scale Entrepreneur (NASME).
