Bayelsa Small Businesses Get Boost as FG Provides Technical Support
Jul 1, 2025
The Federal Government has organised a stakeholders’ Town Hall meeting in Bayelsa State with the aim to boost private sector growth and ease of doing business continues.
The event which took place in Yenagoa , the state capital was organised by the Presidential Enabling Business Environmental Council, PEBEC, through its Sub-national Intervention Visit, State Technical Session and Statewide Town Hall Meeting.
Speaking at the session, the Director General of PEBEC, Princess Zarah Mustapha-Audu, said the initiative is part of a nationwide tour to provide technical support to government agencies that interface with businesses.
According to her, the goal is to enhance service delivery and operational efficiency, which are key to attracting investment, improving job creation, and raising the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
She noted that the engagement aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s eight-point agenda focused on economic growth and investment opportunities and stressed the importance of collaboration between government and private sector players in creating a conducive environment that can support sustainable development across the country.
Represented by the Nationwide Tour Coordinator and Head of Sub-National Reforms, Mrs. Kris Ekanem, Mustapha-Audu said the visit is in preparation for the 2025 report on ease of doing business across states.
She explained that the report will feature only the top ten states that make it easier to do business, based on factors like quality of services, infrastructure, access to loans, better regulations, and safety.
“We saw the progress in Bayelsa State, as at 2021 when we had the first report, Bayelsa came first out of the states in South-South and also tenth state in the whole nation. But by the second of the national report, Bayelsa has dropped to twenty-four across the whole nation.
“So we feel that great gap and that is why emphasised on driving these reforms, mentioning the indicators and having understanding of how these indicators will affect the ranking for this year. Unfortunately, this year we will no longer be having the same ranking. This year, we will be ranking just the first ten states and also looking at the five most improved states from the previous cycle”, she said.
The Commissioner for Trade, Industry and Investment, Dr. Ebieri Jones, however, reiterated the commitment of the Governor Douye Diri-led Administration to implementing policies, programmes and reforms to improve the business environment.
He said, “Government is committed to ensure that the reforms and all the matrix are implemented and achieved within the window of the framework. Government is committed and places premium in collaborating with PEDEC and other stakeholders to harness the fast and attainable opportunities particularly in areas we have comparative advantage to drive our economy and the nation’s economy growth.
“Through the this collaboration, we have confidence that Bayelsa State will become even more attractive as destinations for investors, entrepreneurs and businesses.”
Also, the Director General of the Bayelsa Investment Promotion Agency, BIPA, àaassMs Patience Abah, said with plans underway for an independent power supply, construction of the three Senatorial Road and priority to security, the State was on course to score high on the Ease of Doing Business Ranking.
The event featured a technical workshop on the State Action on Business Enabling Reform ,SABER, program and private sector stakeholders’ engagement session.
