The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has urged the Federal government to Implement policies and programmes that support strategic industries that are pivotal to job creation, tax revenues, and infrastructural development.
Directive General of LCCI, Dr Chinyere Almona who this statement while commenting on the President Tinubu speech on Democracy day said beyond the rhetoric of speeches, the government needs to stay close to executing their proposed programmes and ongoing reforms to ensure Nigerians reap the dividends of democracy without any further delays.
She said apart from providing targeted support for businesses to reduce their cost burdens from energy, logistics, and regulatory compliance, there is need for government to adopt non-cash interventions that can ease the harsh production environment.
Expressing the need to expand social safety net programmes to support households affected by high living costs and inflation during this transition period and also increase funding for public services such as healthcare, education, and social welfare, she said government need to remain sensitive to the concerns of, and feedback from, the Organized Private Sector (OPS) and engage in more consultations towards achieving better implementation of policies.
Other steps to be taking to ensure that Nigerian reap the fruits of democracy according to her include fostering a collaborative environment between the government, businesses, civil society, and labor unions to ensure fair and timely negotiations on wages and working conditions and implement continuous dialogue and conflict resolution mechanisms to prevent labour unrest.
She also urged government to ensure clear and consistent communication about economic reforms and policies to businesses and the public to reduce uncertainty, build confidence, and establish transparent mechanisms for tracking and reporting progress made through reforms.
While acknowledging the short-term challenges in the system, she was optimistic about the long-term benefits of the proposed and implemented reforms.
