PEBEC Targets 60-day Agro-export Action Plan for Perishable Produce

Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), has set a 60-day agro-export action plan targeted at ensuring that perishable agricultural produce earmarked for export were allowed to move freely through the country’s ports.

The PEBEC’s secretariat hinted that it has identified priority reforms from across five categories for the current 7th National Action Plan (NAP 7.0).

The Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, said the five categories include: trade/ports reform, automation reforms, regulatory reforms, legislative/judicial reforms and Executive Order 01/ReportGov.NG compliance reforms.

Oduwole stated that the faithful implementation of the agro-export plan would boost the competitiveness of Nigeria’s agro-exports and create jobs, while enhancing Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings and providing good rewards for the labours of farmers all across Nigeria.”

She said that “through the deployment of automation and process review, we are, again, intensifying efforts at improving the travel experience, particularly at our international airports, strengthening the automation of the business incorporation process of the Corporate Affairs Commission, enhancing transparency in the trademark registration process, and increasing the adoption of electronic filling of taxes, among others.”

Oduwole, therefore, stated that the NAP 7.0 “is especially designed to break away from the lack lustre performance of our last two outings, NAP 5.0 and NAP 6.0, held in Q1 of 2020 and 2021, which saw the relevant ministries, departments and agencies perform below par at 44 per cent and 43 per cent respectively for a variety of reasons.

“Accordingly, at its meeting of February 1, 2022, chaired by His Excellency, the Vice President, the PEBEC reached the firm conclusion and stated categorically that all relevant MDAs must strive to deliver and exceed reform target expectations during this 60-day accelerator.”

She explained that NAPs are homegrown internationally recognised 60-day accelerators developed to coordinate the effective delivery of priority reforms implemented by select ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), to drive ease of doing business in Nigeria.