Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has said his government will continue to pursue policies and reforms to attract investment, drive industrialization and enhance local capacity and productivity in the state.
Obaseki, in a statement, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to working with more private investors to deepen development and open up the state’s economy for productivity and industrialization.
The governor noted that the state’s industrialization policy is targeted at opening up the space for investment to facilitate big-ticket projects to site in the state so as to create wealth for Edo people and diversify the state’s economic base.
According to the governor, “Industrialisation is one of the core pillars of this administration. Already, we have created much impact in this regard and we will continue to provide the needed environment to spur industrialisation as it has the potential to boost economic growth and development.
“Projects targeted at driving industrialization such as the Edo State Modular Refinery project and the CCTEC-Ossiomo Power Plant are ready for commissioning, as work on them progressed. These projects reinforce our commitment to working with more private investors to deepen development and open up the economy for productivity and industrialization.
“We are on course on the Benin River Port and Edo Enterprise Park projects, as the Edo Production Centre shows us signs of things to come. We would continue to push for more of such projects to ensure that we the requisite infrastructure to attract and keep investment and also engender inclusive growth.”
Noting the disruptions caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Obaseki said: “Technology, human capital and innovation will play critical roles in the new scheme of things within government and the larger economy. We are building the workforce of the future in Edo to attend to these new challenges.
“We have no doubt that we shall overcome these challenges if we emphasize and invest in our people, particularly our youths and redesign a government that is responsible and responsive to their needs.
“Once we can redesign government and the bureaucracy to focus more on providing services efficiently, we will unlock the innate energies, creativity and innovation of our land and people.”