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Ololade Omosan-Agie
The Federal Government in a bid to attract more investors into the country is considering the review of the Pioneer Status Incentive under the Industrial Development (Income Tax Relief) Act.
The Acting Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission, Emeka Offor, stated this at a media parley on Wednesday in Abuja on the strategic plan of the NIPC.
Offor said that in view of the fact that the quest for investments has become competitive, the NIPC would undertake a review of the qualifying list to include emerging activities that require government support while delisting activities that are matured.
He said, “We have begun the process of developing a strategic plan with a focus on the National Development Plan sectors. Critical to this strategy is the profiling of the opportunities in each State as well as sustaining the engagements with the sub-national governments.
“We would continue to build on past successes while we chart new paths for sustainable development of the capacity of staff of the State Investment Promotion Agencies while also stimulating healthy competition for investments across the regions and the States.
“We would leverage on our relationships with the Executive of the States to ensure sustained appreciation of the issues of the business environment with the understanding that the aggregation of the sub-national perception forms the national image, and also expand the coverage of Nigerian Investment Certification Programme for States.
“During the period, we would aim at completing the reform process we initiated on the process and administrative framework of the Pioneer Status Incentive under the Industrial Development (Income Tax Relief) Act.
“We would undertake the review of the qualifying list to include emerging activities that require government support while delisting activities that are matured.”
He said within the next five years, the NIPC would leverage the National Development Plan 2021 – 2022 to attract investments into the country.
The plan projected a capital requirement of N348.7trn with 86 per cent (N298.3trn) expected to be provided by the private sector.
“Mobilisation of this capital has become the focus of the Commission. It is in this respect that the Commission has begun the process of validating the records of the investment announcements.
“We expect the report from this exercise to give us a further understanding of investors’ readiness to invest in Nigeria,” he stated.
According to NIPC’s Strategic Plan from 2022 – 2026, Offor explained that validation of investment records will give the Commission direction towards a global drive on investment in Nigeria.
