Looking to boost operational sustainability in Oredo Local Government Area (LGA) of Edo State, the Council has set up measures to improve the transparency and predictability of the investment environment.
The Chairman, Oredo Local Government Council, Dr. Tom Obaseki said the novel plan will make it easier for investors to conduct their day-to-day business.
Dr. Tom Obaseki made the statement at the launch of a new investment initiative tagged, “OREDO BUSINESS SUPPORT AND INVESTMENT FACILITATION OFFICE”, on Friday, March 15, at the Council’s Secretariat in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
The initiative is anchored on three components including the Oredo-Socio Environmental Impact Initiative, which is expected to focus on environmental impact, climate justice, livelihood enhancement, health care promotion, and education support/scholarship.
The second component, according to the Council Chief, is the Oredo Investment and Development Company, an initiative geared towards business development, private-public partnership, and income generation.
The third component is the Oredo Business Support & Investment Facilitation Desk, where the focus is on business consulting, regulatory assistance, access to business information, network opportunities, training and development, financial support guidance, and investor support/facilitation services.
Dr. Obaseki said there was a need to create wealth among the people through the initiative, adding that given its capacity, it will expand its existing investments, thus aiding sustainability in Oredo and its environs.
According to Obaseki, “Aside from the internally generated revenue of the LGA, this is one of the ways we intend to attract the huge capital required to meet the infrastructural need of a cosmopolitan LGA like Oredo”
The Council Boss also stated that the goal of the initiative is to make Oredo LGA the most preferable place to do business, noting that the initiative will bring about industrial development and ease of doing business in the Oredo Local Government Area.
On his part, Kelvin Uwaibi, Managing Director, Edo State Investment Promotion Office (ESIPO), commended the investment developmental strides of the Chairman, stressing that the initiative is a new dawn and a huge departure from the old way of doing things at the council levels in the State.
Uwaibi said Oredo remains the first Local Government Council to create an investment desk office.
He also noted that the initiative will bring about a mutually beneficial collaboration between the State Government and the Council, ease data collection from the grassroots, increase social development and revenue generation, and attract foreign interventions.
The Business Support and Investment Facilitators to the Council Chairman, Peter Odia, and Andrew Igbineweka pledged their commitments.
Dignitaries including the Vice Chairman, Oredo Local Government Council, Hon. Patricia Oghogho and the Secretary of the Council, Dr. Wellington Osadolor were present at the launch ceremony.
