As part of efforts to address challenges in business premises registration and improve the ease of doing business, the Ogun State government has launched the state business premises registration portal just as it has also commenced free registration of businesses on the portal till December 31, 2021.
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, while speaking virtually during the launch at Ogun TechHub, Abeokuta, said the launch is as a result of different reforms and digitisation of the present administration aimed at creating an enabling environment for businesses.
Represented by the Chairman of the State Business Environment Council who also doubles as the Commissioner for Finance, Dapo Okubadejo, the Governor added that through the portal, the government would be able to plan for the provision of infrastructure, security, power, manage the environment as well as provide other relevant facilities for businesses in the state.
“In the past, Business Permit Registration had hitherto been done manually but when the Business Environment Council established the Technical Working Group on ‘Starting a Business’, in line with our digitisation initiative, we decided that this registration process must be automated.
“The automation process has been tested. This portal is very interactive,” Abiodun said.
The Governor enjoined all categories of businesses operating in the state to register their business on the portal for free via businesspermit.ogunstate.gov.ng from September 1 till December 31, 2021 adding that the government has also waived all backlog on Business Premises Permit Registration in the state.
Abiodun added that the government would harmonise its taxes with legal backing as well as increase on enforcement of its tax laws to eliminate illegal tax collection in the state.
In her welcome address, Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Kikelomo Longe, said with the launch of the portal, the state has fully automated its business registration process adding that the full automation makes the process easier while also reducing cost.
She noted that with the automation process, “the state could be ranked number one on the Starting a Business Index of the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Ranking which is scheduled for 2022.
The state Head of Service, Mrs. Selimot Ottun, called on business membership organisations in the State to sensitise their members on the need to take advantage of the free registration window given by the government.
In their separate remarks, the State Chairman, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr. Seleem Adegunwa, National President Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON), Dr. Femi Egbesola and State Chairman, Nigeria Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), Dr. Akinwunmi Alonge lauded the government for developing the portal, as well as the decision of the government to make the registration free, just as they assured that they would mobilise their members to register on the platform.
– The Guardian