According to Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, the verdict was passed by the management and board of editors of the nation's leading business newspaper, Business Day, at its States Competitiveness and Good Governance Awards ceremony, held in Lagos.
At the ceremony, attended by governors, members of State Executive Councils from across the nation, members of the business community, the media, among others, Editor of Business Day, Mr. Phil Isakpa, said Ogun State won the award of fastest growing economy because it has highest the number of businesses established in its domain and that the government has made the environment more attractive to investors.
He added that Ogun State got the award because from the research by the newspaper's team, it has the highest positive number of Gross Domestic Product in the last one year, the number of bank branches had increased more than that of other states in the last three years and its financial inclusion, particularly the embrace of cashless economy and the use of Automated Teller Machine by residents had increased tremendously.
The newspaper said its conclusions were made based on “extensive research and tour of states across the country and submission of entries by states”.
While receiving the award on behalf of Governor Ibikunle Amosun, the Commissioner for Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, thanked the management of the newspaper for recognizing the efforts being made by the state government to attract investors through provision of infrastructure, liberalizing the process of establishing businesses including access to the vast land in the state as well as provision of security facilities to ensure safety of persons and property.
Governor Amosun was equally nominated for the awards of Best Governor in Urban and Rural Infrastructure Development and Best Governor in Education Development.
It should be noted that the various categories in which the efforts of the Ibikunle Amosun administration were recognized by the Business Day management fall under the five cardinal programme of the government's Mission to Rebuild Ogun State.
In the same vein, Amosun has assured both local and foreign investors interested in locating their business concerns in the state that adequate arrangement and facilities have been put in place to guarantee a secure environment for their investments to thrive.
The governor gave this assurance in Abeokuta at a stakeholders' sensitization workshop on the State's One-Stop Investment Centre (OGSIC), an initiative of the Department of Trade and Investment.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Taiwo Adeoluwa, Governor Amosun said besides security arrangement, government had also been embarking on infrastructural development projects across the state to among other things, make business transactions easier.
“As a responsible and responsive government, the socio-economic well –being of our people is paramount to us. Therefore, for the people to go about their lawful and legitimate activities without fear, molestation or threat to their lives and property, we have ensured adequate arrangement and facilities to guarantee a secure environment. We are determined to ensure that individuals and groups maximize their potentials while investors are assured that their investment is safe”, Governor Amosun.
Justifying the need for OGSIC, the governor said its mandate was to facilitate sufficient and effective service delivery, ease burden of regulatory compliance on private domestic and foreign investors and make the state investment priorities more attractive, while improving the coordination and delivery of government services.
He added that government had also intensified investment drive as it had restructured both the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Bureau of Lands and Survey, noting that the efforts had been yielding dividends as about 80 companies had signified interest to domicile, with 32 of them already on ground at different levels of operations.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Trade and Investments, Mrs. Adenike Aboderin, said establishment of the One-stop investment centre was to meet the yearnings of the “would be” investors in order to provide the needed information on any areas of enquiry, most especially as they relate to investment opportunities.
She affirmed that it would boost the State's economy, become a reference point for other States and a pacesetter in wealth creation and employment generation.
In his presentation on “Urban and Regional Planning Reforms in Ogun State” Commissioner for Urban and Physical Planning, Gbenga Otenuga, disclosed that both normative and substantive reforms had been carried out.
According to him, the urban and regional planning law no 20 of 2005 and building plan regulations of 2010 had been modified to address unnecessary delays and bottlenecks in building plan approval processing.
A fallout of this, he said, was the empowerment of Local Planning Authority and Zonal Town Planning offices to approve simple applications at local level within a maximum of 14 days and special applications within a maximum of 21 working days.
He said e-payment and point of payment machines, among others, are now being used; adding that these have reduced the time hitherto wasted in going to banks for payment.
Otenuga also said that public enlightenment campaigns on ”Build Right” were being intensified to create awareness, just as town planning offices were being increased to provide state wide coverage and ensure easy accessibility by investors.
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