‘Nigerian entrepreneurs need incentives to thrive’   

David Bawa, lawyer and chartered secretary, is the newly elected chairman of the Professional Practice Group of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).  In this interview, Bawa tells ODINAKA ANUDU that entrepreneurs need better operating environment to thrive.

Does your group have any programme designed to reduce unemployment or spike entrepreneurship in the country?

Let us start by saying that professionals will not readily create employment without the government providing the enabling environment.  So, first, it starts with the government. For us as professionals, we believe that government should enable entrepreneurship by setting up infrastructure, improving access to funding and power. There is also the need  to develop the skills set needed to see entrepreneurship blossom. We, as professionals, have set up a mentoring programme for young entrepreneurs.  The Business, Education, Services and Training (BEST) unit of the chamber is a product of the Professional Service Group.  It was formed and handed over to the larger house. The chamber now has a mentoring section, which the Lagos State government has bought into.

In terms of skills empowerment, we have found that you may have capital but if you don’t understand issues like your market and your value chain, you may not easily get there. We are also planning to come up with a guide called ‘What You Need To Know’, which is about business start-ups in Nigeria.  Not only will entrepreneurs benefit from this but also will foreign investors. When foreign investors come in, they will have a handbook given to them on what they need to know about the country. Once they know some of these things, automatically they are on the path of success.  Before our tenure is over, we will have made this handbook available to members of the LCCI and also to foreign investors.

How often do you organise capacity programmes for your members?

Part of the standard activities we have as a group includes workshops and seminars. I can assure you that the resource persons in these trainings and seminars are captains of industry, drivers of Nigeria’s policies, both at public and private sectors.

How will you rate doing business in Nigeria?

The truth is, we can do better.  The environment depends on leadership, and I know that under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, a lot of things will change in the country. But as an advocacy group, we will continue to appeal to the government to provide enabling environment for businesses to thrive. You and I know the benefit of power. There is also the issue of access to capital. We want interest rate to come down to single digit. The government of today should begin to look at providing incentives, grants, and waivers to entrepreneurs.  Everybody is advocating policies that will attract foreign investors. But I ask, what about local investors?  It is a case of one feeding off the other. If we create an enabling environment here, our dependence on foreign investments will diminish. Should we kill local investors because we want foreign investors? Some countries give five-year tax holiday as part of incentives to invest in their countries. Why won’t government give that to Nigerian entrepreneurs here? Financial packages can be given to entrepreneurs in the form of grants.

Tell us what your group represents.

The Professional Practice Group is one of the major sectoral groups in the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). It is a strategic one because it is the voice of advocacy and also a platform for policy formulation and recommendation. We assemble a whole lot of professionals from all walks of life.  We try to encourage people who have attained some level of expertise to become members of the group so that they can take advantage of businesses and opportunities.

Tell us your vision for your group.

Essentially, the vision that we have as a group is not far away from that of the LCCI. My vision is to ensure that we have a robust membership. In my years of experience, I have found myself engaged in some form of mobilisation at various levels, which is one of my visions.  Having done our home work, we have seen that membership drive is key, because without having participation, interest and re-awakening, you will not be able to get the best people, the best companies and investors within your system. So, robust membership base is one of our visions. Next is the re-integration of young professionals into the chamber. We also want to establish a think-thank base. We also want to put in place proper training, workshops and forums where professional minds will come together to have a jaw-jaw about recent trends in the country and the ongoing need for reform.  In the same vein, we want to establish a process of policy formulation  and ideas bank. Within our two-year period, we want to ensure we have a blueprint in that direction.

What does a prospective member stand to gain from your group?

We have been talking about the issue of value to potential members out there. Professionalism is an intangible asset, but in terms of counting your gain, two things will be achieved. The first one is network while the second is the net worth.  The Commerce House (LCCI) is already a hub for businesses in and outside Nigeria. We want to help investors enter into the Nigerian market and we want to give members access to business partners, which will add to their net worth and also create a good networking for businesses to thrive.

ODINAKA ANUDU