By Okechukwu Okechukwu
Traders, importers, exporters, manufacturers and other captains of industries in Anambra State have lamented that their businesses were crumbling daily over insecurity, touting, bad road network and frequent Monday sit-at-home orders in the State.
The business executives disclosed this in their separate speeches in Awka at a Business Roundtable with manufacturers, importers and exporters in Anambra organised by the State Ministry of Commerce and Industry held Weekend.
According to them, the most affected places and locations were businesses are adversely in the State are at Onitsha, Ogbaru and Nkpor axes, due to activities of hoodlums, including pickpockets, touts and others.
They urged the State government to address the road and ecological challenges affecting the transportation system around Onitsha, especially Owerri Road and New Market to ease traffic, revival of Onitsha seaport, as well as to assist them in reducing difficulties they are facing in Visa procession and procurement of C of O, among others.
The investors also urged the government to look into the insecurity challenges and erect CCTVs at Upper Iweka, Bridge Head, Borromeo, Nkpor Junction and other entry points, establish integrated trade platform, provide incentives for more people to go into industrialisation, as well as creation of a contributory scheme for manufacturers to make greater impact.
Some of the speakers, Chief Kelvin Ucheabi, who deals on food and beverages at Onitsha and Mrs Ada Orikaeze, urged the State governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo to position and install security devices around markets, including Upper-Iweka, Bridge Head and Nkpor with a view to arrest the ugly situations.
Responding, governor Chukwuma Soludo, said his administration has various agenda geared towards encouraging production for export, including reforming processes for approvals in Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency (ANSIPPA) for easier access to prospective investors.
The governor also stated that his administration was making efforts to ensure that the processing time for acquiring land C of O drops down to 72 hours, adding that the government would equally create road markings to differentiate red zones from free Zones for motorists, address the issue of abuses by involving traffic and revenue enforcers.
Earlier, the State Commissioner for Industry, Mr. Christian Udechukwu, while explaining that the event with a theme; From Import to Industrialisation for Export, was aimed at ascertaining the challenges facing manufacturers, importers and exporters with a view to solving them and attract more investors to develop the state and achieve more growth trajectories.
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