State Governments pledge cooperation on BECANS II

BECANS II got a major boost when it was recently endorsed by representatives of the State Governments at the joint meeting of the National Council on Development Planning (NCDP) and the Joint Planning Board (JPB), which was held at the Hydro Hotels, Minna, Niger State from the 27th-28th of October, 2008. The meeting was attended by delegates from 28 States of the Federation and Abuja, and other stakeholders. In all, 177 delegates attended the meeting.
At the meeting the delegates were updated on progress made on the Second Cycle of BECANS Programme. A brief on the programme was presented by Mr. Amaechi Chukwu, the BECANS Desk Officer.
The meeting noted, with satisfaction, the conclusion of the first cycle of the BECANS project and the emergence of BECANS II. It went on to urge the States to cooperate in the proposed sensitization activities for data collection purposes.

The BECANS programme has proved effective in influencing state-level reforms for better business environment. Many states have reacted to the BECANS results by making positive adjustments in administrative procedures and institutional processes that increase efficiency of service delivery in such areas as tax collection, land administration, business support and entrepreneurship development.