Governor Dapo Abiodun (middle) at the opening ceremony of the 10th Gateway International Trade Fair. |
Governor Dapo Abiodun, who stated this at the opening
ceremony of the 10th Gateway International Trade Fair, tagged, “Transforming
Agriculture and Commerce in a Highly Competitive Global Market”, held at the Trade Fair Complex, Oke-Mosan,
Abeokuta, also hinted that to make business easy for investors in the State,
the state will in two weeks time flag-off the Construction of the Agbara-Lusada
road.
“This administration has embarked on massive road
construction and rehabilitation across the State, including roads to industrial
hubs. We will be flagging off the construction of Atan Lusada Agbara road in
the next 2 weeks. We are also paying attention to rural roads to boost
agriculture and the development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
“We are developing MSMEs clusters across the state that will
be provided with the full infrastructure of roads, drainage, power, and fibre
optics that would be offered at attractive pricing and flexible payment terms
to further encourage to incentivize MSMEs.
“We will soon be launching the Ogun MSMEs development fund
geared towards providing easier credit facilities. We will also be launching an
innovation fund for Tech-based MSMEs”, he said.
Abiodun also noted that it was time for the country to explore
other sectors to boost its economy, adding that if sectors like agriculture,
trade and manufacturing, were given the needed attention, it would go a long
way in making them economically viable and sustainable.
“The agricultural sector remains the cornerstone to our
economy and, if well harnessed, will put our economy development at a very fast
pace.
“Diversification into the non-oil sector has become
imperative if we must make use of our abundant human resources and improve on
local production and consumption. We need to reduce import rate, improve export
and earn more foreign exchange to boost our economy”, he said.
Noting that the Gateway International Trade Fair had over
the years contributed to the economic and industrial growth of the State and the
nation, he expressed hope that this year’s edition, would also serve as an
avenue to cross-fertilize ideas to bring about the diversification agenda that
would help address the nation’s economic challenges.
Abiodun noted that the fair would further provide an
opportunity for businessmen and women to showcase their goods and services to
the outside world, enhance corporate partnership and bilateral relations among
countries through the exchange of notes on trending issues with potentials for
economic growth.
The establishment of the Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency, the Governor noted, was to provide useful information for prospective investors on business opportunities in the State and the massive reconstruction of alternative roads to link major roads to ease movement of agricultural produce, goods and services, was the administration’s commitment towards promoting investments and industrialization.
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