Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. We’re fighting to give them the support and freedom they need to thrive.
Strategic Location: Edo sits at the heart of Southern Nigeria, with access to major highways, rail, and ports, making it a potential trade and logistics hub.
Agriculture & Agro-Processing: Fertile land for oil palm, cocoa, cassava, and rubber creates strong opportunities for value-added processing.
Emerging Innovation Economy: With hubs like the Edo Innovation Hub, the state is nurturing a tech-savvy youth population that could drive digital business growth.
Industrial Potential: Cement, quarrying, and solid minerals (limestone, granite, gold) provide avenues for manufacturing and heavy industry.
Urban Growth: Rising demand for housing, retail, and services in Benin City and beyond supports real estate, construction, and hospitality sectors.
Infrastructure Gaps: Poor roads, inconsistent electricity supply, and weak digital infrastructure increase operational costs.
Regulatory & Bureaucratic Barriers: Red tape and unclear processes make starting and scaling businesses difficult.
Security Concerns: Kidnapping, theft, and rural insecurity threaten both agriculture and investment confidence.
Limited Access to Finance: MSMEs struggle to secure affordable credit and capital, stalling growth.
Brain Drain & Youth Unemployment: Many skilled workers leave for better opportunities, weakening the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The Gubernatorial Aspirant Forum (GAF) can play a vital role as a platform of ideas, policies, and commitments that shape the state’s economic direction.
Ease of Doing Business Reforms: Push for simplified business registration, tax clarity, and transparent licensing.
Infrastructure Commitment: Ensure aspirants prioritise electricity, transport, broadband, and industrial zones in their manifestos.
Pro-Business Regulation: Advocate policies that reduce bottlenecks for MSMEs and encourage private sector–led growth.
Business Roundtables: Facilitate direct dialogue between aspirants and local business leaders (farmers, manufacturers, traders, startups).
Sectoral Forums: Highlight the challenges and prospects in key industries, including agriculture, ICT, real estate, and mining.
Accountability Platforms: Track and publish each aspirant’s commitments to the business community.
SME Development: Encourage programs for skills training, incubation hubs, and access to affordable credit.
Partnerships: Broker alliances with financial institutions, chambers of commerce, and global investors.
Youth & Innovation Support: Promote startup ecosystems through grants, mentorship, and technology clusters.
Signal Stability: By framing business policy as central to Edo’s development, GAF reassures investors.
Champion Inclusive Growth: Ensure policies reflect not only big investors but also market women, artisans, and rural entrepreneurs.
Long-Term Roadmap: Position Edo as a model state where private enterprise thrives in tandem with public investment.
What’s at stake? The future of Edo’s economy—jobs, revenue, industrial growth, and investor confidence—depends on how effectively challenges are addressed and opportunities seized.
What can GAF do? Serve as the bridge between political leadership and the business community: shaping pro-business policies, amplifying business voices, fostering accountability, and ensuring Edo becomes a state where businesses start easily, grow sustainably, and compete globally.
What’s at Stake Every child in Edo State deserves quality education that prepares them not just to pass exams, but to thrive in life, innovate for tomorrow, and contribute to the progress of our society. To build an education system that not only prepares students for exams but equips them with the skills, creativity, and …
Reforming the police system to ensure professionalism, respect for human rights, and community trust. Mechanisms will be strengthened for independent oversight, ensuring that misconduct, corruption, and abuse of power are addressed transparently.