Okoh to House: Current BPE initiatives aim at impacting on economy positively

The Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Alex A. Okoh has disclosed that the current initiatives by the Bureau are aimed at impacting the Nigerian economy positively in the areas of infrastructure development, employment creation and human capital development.

Receiving members of the House of Representatives Committee on Privatisation   led by its Chairman, Mr. Victor Kolade Akinjo which was on an oversight visit to the Bureau on Wednesday, February 19, 2020, Okoh informed the parliamentarians that the opportunities, particularly in the infrastructure space, are limitless and need political leadership for its success.

He said the Bureau was shifting focus and strategy to reforms, and other public private partnership initiative to address the infrastructural deficit in the country. According to him, the Bureau over the years had carried out reforms in the telecoms sector which (has improved teledensity), the pension reform and the Ports .On the Ports reforms, he said the Bureau had succeeded in providing above 25, 000 additional jobs to Nigerians.

Okoh added that to mitigate risks in its transactions in 2020, the Bureau has introduced risk management strategy in all transactions as part of its efforts to improve on its mandate.

Responding, the Chairman of the Committee on Privatisation, Mr. Victor Kolade Akinjo expressed satisfaction with the reforms the Bureau had carried out over the years and pledged to support it for the growth and economic development of the nation.

He said the purpose of the oversight visit was to interface with the Bureau and sensitize the committee members on the reform and privatisation process carried out by the Bureau; even as he expressed the need to amend the Public Enterprises privatisation and commercialisation Act to reflect current realities.