The Federal Government has announced the implementation of a digital platform to ease the establishment and growth of Small and Medium Enterprises in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Mallam Muhammad Bello, the FCT Minister, disclosed this on Thursday in Akure, the Ondo state capital, during a stakeholders’ resolution retreat organised by the FCT Internal Revenue Service.
Bello said the digital platform known as “FCT Business Portal” would be used for the issuance of permits, licenses, and other approvals.
The Minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, FCT, Mr Olusade Adesola, explained that the new reform would allow businesses and individuals to apply for and receive all necessary permits without any stress of visiting the government offices.
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“These reforms will help to create a more transparent, predictable, and efficient regulatory environment for businesses.
“In addition, we are working to streamline and simplify regulations and procedures for business registration, property registration, and land use planning,” he said.
According to him, none of the reforms would.be successful without the support and cooperation of stakeholders taxation industry.
While stressing the need for the active participation and engagement of business owners and investors, Mr Bello said there’s a need to ensure that the reforms are effective, inclusive and also sustained.
To achieve success, the minister said the continuity of the reform would be brought into focus with the collective resolve of all stakeholders in the generation of revenue for the nation’s capital city.
“I would like to emphasize that the harmonization of revenue and promotion of ease of doing business in the FCT are not just technical or administrative issues.
“They are critical components of our efforts to create a more prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable Capital Territory for all.
“By working together, we can overcome the challenges we face and build a brighter future for the FCT and its residents,” the FCT Minister said.
Bello, however, expressed the hope that the retreat would bring together the broad spectrum of stakeholders to rub minds and exchange ideas on how best to ensure the attainment of the highest IGR-generating sub-national status.
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, who declared the retreat open, said revenue generation is critical and crucial to the sustainable socioeconomic development of any society, especially in a developing economy.
Mr Akeredolu, who was represented by the State Commissioner for Finance, Wale Akinterinwa, noted that the state had been able to change the narrative of how generates its IGR without introducing extra burden to the citizens.
Earlier, the Executive Chairman, of FCT-IRS, Haruna Abdullahi, said that the vision of the body was to establish a world-class revenue collection system in the FCT that is transparent, accountable, and efficient.
He explained that FCT-IRS aimed to achieve this by creating a single, unified platform and dashboard that will enable us to track and monitor all revenue generated in the FCT.
According to him, the goal is to ensure that all revenue in the FCT is properly accounted for and reported, with the highest level of transparency and accuracy.
“This will help to build trust and confidence among the people and encourage them to support our revenue generation efforts.
“We also aim to use technology to streamline our revenue collection processes, reduce inefficiencies, and improve service delivery to the people,” he said.
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