The government remains the highest authority of the state, which has as one of its mandates to ensure the welfare of the people is met. This, among many other ways, is to be achieved boasting businesses and attracting investments, which in turn contributes to its GDP.
Key to this is ensuring the availability of relevant laws, introduction of good policies, development of friendly investment environment for businesses to operate and thrive. We have a high population growth rate in the state, which translates to higher demand for job opportunities. This demand can only be met by encouraging business startup and boosting existing ones.
The private sector is an umbrella that houses business activities in the areas of production, manufacturing and service delivery. As it is in advanced climes the largest employer of labor is the private-sector. The ability of the private-sector driven businesses to survive is a function of the conducive environment created by the government of the day. This in turn generate more revenue into the state government’s purse through tax payment and other sources.
Some time ago, in 2017, we were in the State House Villa to launch a business-clinic model for the private sector in which the federal government invited experts from the Malaysian government through the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning on the Economic recovery growth plan (ERGP). This model is a system that assess the needs of the private sector, and invariably profiles it for the government to draft out its budget in a way that supports the private sector. Be it good roads, electricity, water, good tariffs, all forms of funds and wavers… in order to boost the activities of the private sector. I was happy to be contracted by a private company as a consultant to submit its profile for capturing and profiling under the ERGP.
Presently, all the segments of the private-sector professional jobs are done in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedure, like the healthcare business involving manufacturing of medical equipments and delivering all forms of medical care services; building of different structures likes shops and industries for businesses, designing and building of value-chain products like spear parts for the mechanical machines, organized transportation system and the list continues.
Because government must have no direct involvement business, its responsibility lies in providing the best enabling environment for the private-sector to attract local and foreign investors for the state to ensure Kaduna Great Again. In all, the government is responsible for enabling business investment opportunities. Based on some of the good pointers of how the government supports the private sector, it will be fair to say that the government has commendably performed in the ease of doing business, 70% base on international rating on the transformation agenda of his Excellency Mal. Nasir El-rufai the Chief executive of the State.
It is therefore important that the citizens of Kaduna state should open up to reality of a developing society and rate the state based on present activities in supporting the private-sector to flourish and develop its economy. The fear of being co-developers of the economy through a private-sector and government led relationship is the reason most citizens are scared of direct involvement. I want to conclude by saying that more citizens should join the private-sector and make life comfortable for all.
Hon. Yahaya Goje Usman.
The writer is a young business leader haven garnered experience with the UNIDO ITPO and NQI, a trade and investment expert who also doubles as the Founder and Director Citizens Concern for Excellence Foundation, it is aimed at championing business investments that satisfy the citizens.
