FG unveils mobile app to boost ease of doing business

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Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment

The Federal Government through the Presidential
Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) on Thursday launched a new Ease
of Doing Business (EoDB) Mobile App, Nigeria’s official public service feedback
and complaints platform for business environment reforms.

The web-based portal or platform will enable the
PEBEC office resolve issues and complaints encountered by private sector
operators with government’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) within
72 hours of lodging same.

President Muhammadu Buhari established thee PEBEC in
July 2016 with the aim of eliminating the delays and restrictions that come
with doing business in Nigeria thereby, making the country a place to start and
grow a business.

On May 18, 2017, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi
Osinbajo, signed the first executive order (EO1) to promote transparency and
efficiency in the business environment. It was aimed at removing the hurdles
that stand in the way of a bigger and more productive private sector.

The launch of the (EoDB) Mobile App in Lagos, on
Thursday, was therefore, a step forward in the Federal Government’s resolve to
make the business environment conducive and also boost domestic and foreign
investments.

At the unveiling of the web-based application, the
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry, Trade and Investment,
Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, explained that while the EO1 was all on transparency and
efficiency, the app is the other side of the coin, where the private

sector gets to see what is going on from their end.

She described the EoDB Mobile App as revolutionary,
pointing out that Nigeria has never walked down this road before.
“Collaboration has been the cornerstone of this initiative,” she said, adding
that PEBEC engaged extensively with various stakeholders.

While noting that the initiative was aimed at making
sure that public and civil servants adhere to Service Level Agreements (SLAs),
Oduwole said the PEBEC has spent a lot of time building capacity to ensure that
feedback and complaints from the private sector are resolved within the 72
hours approved by the president.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and
Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, said the launch of the web-based app was in
line with the Federal Government’s commitment to being a business enabler and
facilitator. “It’s about energizing businesses and making the business
environment conducive,” he said.

He said the app, which is now available for
download, is already on Google Store, while efforts are being made to also put
it on Apple Play Store. He also assured that complaints made on the new app
will be quickly resolved, urging users to download it on their mobile

phones. The Director General, Lagos Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr. Muda Yusuf, described the app as “A game
changer and one of the best things to happen to this country.”

He said although, the PEBEC office has been doing a
lot, it’s still work in progress. “There is still a whole lot more to be done,
despite a few progresses that have been made,” he said.

Yusuf, who spoke during a panel discussion to
discuss issues bordering on transparency and efficiency of service delivery in
Nigeria, observed, for instance, that there is need for the World Bank to
review the indicators for composition of the EoDB Index to reflect the reality
of each country.

He said countries vary in their peculiarities and
challenges; that some of the indicators in the EoDB composition do not properly
capture the critical variables in the Nigerian environment such as power,
transportation and security.

“We need to address all these other variables that
are not on the list of the EoDB parameters,”

Yusuf said, pointed out, for instance, that the
present indicators are about construction permit, ease of starting business,
credit, reforms, trading across borders, among others.

The launch of the Mobile App was the high point of
the Third Regulatory Convention organised by The Convention on Business
Integrity/The Integrity Organisation in collaboration with ActionAid, Nigerian
Economic Summit Group, LCCI and Business Day Newspapers.

It was held in partnership with the Enabling
Business Environment Secretariat (EBES) with the theme “Improving Transparency
and Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria.”

The Nation