Your Commitment Is Needed for Business to Grow, Buhari Tasks State Governments

– Buhari calls for partnership with state governments in order to run a succesful business.

– He urges the state governments to provide the needed infrastructure to link farms to processing plants and markets.

President Muhammadu Buhari has described state governments as key partners for successful businesses in the country.

Buhari stated this on Saturday at the opening of the 40th Kaduna International Trade Fair, organised by the Kaduna Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA).

The fair is themed “Consolidating Interface Between Industry and Agriculture for Nigeria’s Sustainable Development”.

The representatives of the president at the occasion, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelama, said that the commitment of state governments was required for businesses to stay on course.

While statting that the federal government rely on state governments to provide access to land, act as mediators in conflict prevention and resolution, link local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to the supply chains of processing companies, the president urged the governments to also provide the needed infrastructure to link farms to processing plants and markets, and above all, provide a conducive environment for businesses and their host communities to thrive.

Expressing his hapiness on such partnership with the Kaduna State Government, he assured that the Federal Government would continue to engage KADCCIMA and the organised private sector to catalyse investment and improve the ease of doing business.

According to him, agriculture contributes 25.5 percent of Nigeria’s GDP and almost 50 percent of its labour force.

He noted that his administration is still facing the challenge of meeting domestic food requirements, providing raw materials for the manufacturing sector and export.

“Therefore, creating a strong linkage between agriculture and industry is a sure way of bringing about sustainable growth by creating new jobs, improving value addition.

“The move will also create wealth for farming communities, improve manufacturing output and enable roll-out of infrastructure around farming communities which will industrialise our country in the long run,” he said.