Newly appointed United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for International Development, Mr Alok Sharma has commended Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, for his role in driving the Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria.
Alok made this commendation when he visited the Vice President at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The Secretary also praised the Federal Government for its efforts in ensuring that the country moved up 24 places in the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Ranking.
Reacting to the commendation, Prof. Osinbajo appreciated the gesture, and observed that Nigeria can benefit from the United Kingdom in its ongoing reform of the business environment by learning from how the British resolved similar challenges.
In his words, “one of the critical issues with the ease of doing business is with respect to the registration of property and how the process is long drawn.”
The Vice President noted that while States like Lagos and Kano have done well with issues around land registration, there are still some outstanding issues.
He said this is an area where the UK and Nigeria can collaborate.
On the specific issue of land registry, he noted how the process was simplified in the UK using technology.
Both the Vice President and the UK Secretary, among other issues, also discussed the rehabilitation of the Northeast region and how the British could support the process going forward.
