Lagos –  Mr Olusegun Aganga, the Minister of Trade and Investment, said on Tuesday that the private sector had a crucial role to play in the realisation of Vision 20: 2020.

Aganga, represented by Mr Latifu Salami, the Director, Industrial Development Department in the ministry, said this at a workshop on “Investment, Entrepreneurship and Jobs Creation” in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop was organised by the Sam-Ohuabunwa Foundation for Economic Empowerment (SOFEE).

He said that the government’s approach to assist the private sector was to provide fiscal support and implement the measures that would provide large-scale private driven industrial investment in the real sector.

“Government cannot do it alone and, therefore, sees the private sector as a crucial partner in its desire to improve the living standard of its citizens through the successful implementation of Vision 20:2020.

“As long as the government controls major finances, it must still perform a pivotal role in stimulating investment processes in terms of provision of enabling environment, infrastructure and security in a sustainable manner.”

Aganga said that government would leverage on the value chain approach and link the sectors to industrial clusters of Small Growing Businesses (SGBs) and SMSEs.

He said that it would also build the network of farmers to engage a number of Nigerians in income generating activities and target the labour intensive sectors of the economy.

According to him, the sectors include agriculture which accounts for more than 40 per cent of the GDP and 60 per cent of employment, manufacturing, building and construction.

The minister said that the government’s efforts were aimed at creating up to 1.5 million new jobs.

Mr Sam Ohuabunwa, the President of SOFEE, said that the workshop would afford the small-scale industrialists the opportunity to interact with government’s officials.

Ohabunwa urged entrepreneurs to ensure that they employed the right staff who would help the government to create the estimated 1.5 million new jobs. (NAN)