Alaghodaro Summit was established to mark the first anniversary of the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki. ‘Alaghodaro’ meaning ‘Progress’ in Edo Language has been captured in the summit’s theme as “Envisioning the Future”.
The Summit which aims at bringing top Nigerian and International Business Leaders, Investors, Bankers, Industry Experts, Policymakers and Academia to set the agenda for development in the State, was declared open by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
Day 1 (November 10, 2017)
The Summit started with a plenary session on institutional reforms, titled ‘Doing Things Differently’.
Former Head of the Federation, Prof. Oladapo Afolabi, said to sustain the reforms, there must be the buy-in of the political class and members of the public, as this will ensure the reform is placed in the heart of the people.
“The State Government must have an implementation plan, as previous reforms embarked by Governments in Nigeria failed, because they were not structured, and had no implementation plan”.
He further explained that the State Government must continuously adapt to the forces of change, in ensuring institutional reforms drive its vision of achieving economic growth.
The Executive Secretary of Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Yewande Sadiku, stated that promotion of investment should be proactive and focused on telling the investors how conducive the environment is and how attractive the returns are, amongst other incentives.
“The agency should be the eye of investors because they understand their needs. The agency must also buy-in into the need to drive investment and be given full access to Government information”.
The Chairman, Organising Committee on ‘Alaghodaro Investment Summit’, Prof Julius Ihonvbere pointed out that a monitoring committee on the ease of doing business, was established to monitor activities of Ministries and Agencies of Government, to ensure they all comply to the standard.
“We have put our house in order, which is critical to driving investment, as the State is among the few States with a strategic document stating how the Government intends to drive policy implementation”.
He added that the State Government was not only interested in attracting investors, but also focused on driving Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), with partnership from the Bank of Industry (BOI).
Day 2 (November 11, 2017)
President Muhammadu Buhari’s Keynote Address
President Muhammadu Buhari represented by the Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment, Dr Okechukwu Enelamah, said Edo State is blessed with the required natural resources to drive economic growth and future progress.
“I am impressed and delighted at the way the governor is going about his work. He is going bringing his energy, network and intellect to bear”.
Buhari noted that the Government alone cannot bring about development, as partnering the private sector is vital in driving economic growth and progress.
He indicated that there was improvement in paying taxes, registering businesses, issuance of visa on arrival and tax collection, emphasizing that the ease of doing business reform would be implemented at the State level.
“One of the things that have impressed me about this Summit is the presence of the private sector. There is no way things can happen at the center without bringing it to the subnational level”.
Governor Godwin Obaseki’s Speech
The Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, welcoming his guests to the event, said a lot has been done in the last twelve months in the State, stressing that the State Government have recorded institutional reforms, as key to development.
He said the Government was determined to rebuild the civil service and improve the capacity of the entire Government workforce; hence a fully computerized staff training school has been built at the Government House to that effect.
“I am glad to inform you that one of the events in this summit is to sign a memorandum of understanding between the United Nations training institute and the Edo State Government. The other institutional reforms include revenue collection, where we have insisted that government revenues should be collected and accounted for”.
The Governor noted that by deploying technology, including persuasion, education and enlightenment, and law-based sanctions in revenue collection, the Government have increased Local Government Revenues by 500% in the last six months.
In the area of infrastructure, Obaseki said Government interventions have resurfaced, reconstructed and are constructing over 500km of roads across the State.
Obaseki whose prominent campaign promise was to create 200,000 jobs in the State, said the Government have created 12, 000 jobs and have commenced the reconstruction of technical colleges in the State, that can train qualified artisans who would be self-employed and provide services to others.
“Our goal is to utilise our endowments, particularly the available energy and logistical advantage so that we can become a major industrial hub”.
Aliko Dangote’s Address
President, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote said Edo State’s strategic focus on institutional reform, economic revolution, infrastructural development, social welfare enhancement, environmental sustainability, as well as culture and tourism, are vital to transforming its economy.
“This Government is very ambitious and they need all the support”.
Dangote said the relationship between public and private institutions should be symbiotic and not adversarial, stating that achieving the pattern of economic growth calls for active search, for solutions to numerous problems impeding the flow of investment in the State.
“Moreover, underlying each of these challenges is a deeper and more pressing question: how can we establish a sustainable relationship between the private sector and Government”.
Prof Yemi Osinbajo’s Ground-Breaking Ceremony
The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo performed the ground breaking ceremony of the N200bn Benin Industrial Park at Iyanomo, Ikpoba Local Government Area of Edo State.
Prof Osinbajo noted that the same strategy adopted by the Edo State Government, has been adopted in some Asian Countries and has produced great results.
He added that the Industrial Park will create about 170, 000 direct and indirect jobs and would contribute to the Country’s manufacturing sector.
“This is what the Country has been waiting for to take us to the height that we desire. Several other Countries have embarked on this line of Industry and succeeded. If we put in the same effort as them, we will also excel”.
He assured the State of the Federal Government’s support towards the completion of the project.
Governor Obaseki had earlier said the park which is a result of public-private partnership initiative and was designed by Mahindra Engineering would conform to 21st Century standard.
He lauded the Federal Government for its relentless commitment to the industrialisation of Edo, saying that the private sector would contribute about 74% share of investments to the Industrial Park.
He also noted that the gas that will power the Industrial Park already exists, within the park’s location and give assurance of the park’s readiness in 12 months.
“I promised that if I become the Governor of Edo State I will create the enabling environment for businesses to thrive and improve the quality of lives of our people. Our goal to industrialise Edo is already yielding results and our hope is to create employment for thousands of people in the State”.
Day 3 (November 12, 2017)
The Summit ended in an inter-faith thanksgiving service at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City. The service was organised in conjunction with the Edo State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
The inter-denominational thanksgiving service was led by the Heads of various faith groups in the State under the umbrella of CAN.
The thanksgiving service was overseen by a committee, headed by the Deputy Governor of the State, Rt. Hon. Philip Shaibu. The service was avenue for the State Government and Edo people to appreciate God for the transformation change they have witnessed during the Governors’ first year in office.
