The Nigerian Economic Summit Group(NESG) has praised Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for his coordination of Ease of Doing Business reforms.

In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Osinbajo’s media aide Laolu Akande said the chairman of the NESG board, Asue Ighodalo, led a group delegation on a courtesy visit to the vice president at the Presidential Villa.

The visit came ahead of the forthcoming Nigerian Economic Summit (NES), an annual event where the public and private sector stakeholders deliberate on developmental issues.

Mr Ighodalo reiterated the commitment of the group to collaborate more with the public sector and expressed optimism despite the challenges.

“You have done a fantastic job on ease of doing business, regardless of the challenges that we are confronted with today. This government can still do much more before it leaves,” said Mr Ighodalo. “At the NESG, we believe that the next six months are very critical.”

The 28th NESG will feature President Muhammadu Buhari, the vice president, and other public and private sector leaders sharing thoughts on visionary leadership and inclusive growth, among other topics.

The NESG team briefed the vice president on the agenda, particularly the theme of the 28th NES, ‘2023 and Beyond: Priorities for Shared Prosperity’, scheduled for November 14 to 15.

 In his response, Mr Osinbajo told the delegation that there was a need to discuss a few pressing national issues and immediate things with significance for the future.

“I am always concerned we don’t allow very many issues to obscure the more important issues that confront us today so that we leave the summit with a clearer view on how we can resolve the pressing issues. For example, how do we tackle the rising inflation and the exchange rate instability?” stated Mr Osinbajo.

He added, “I really think we should spend more time focusing on the primary issues of inflation and exchange rate control. It is very important to always note what you (private sector experts) think are the main concerns today, especially about macroeconomics and how to deal with the issues. What the private sector thinks about how we can resolve some of these issues is important.”

He acknowledged the contributions of the NESG to economic development over the years.

The vice president explained that he strongly believed in the objectives of the NESG as it had contributed a lot to how the public sector thought through policies and had provided that forum for public sector accountability.

“The NESG has also been very useful in educating the private sector about the processes of running a complex system such as the one that we have,” he added. “It has been a very useful synergy between the public and the private sector.”

(NAN)