The Kwara State Governor, Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed, has reiterated the state government’s desire to be less dependent on what he referred to as “the increasingly inadequate federal allocation.”
Speaking at a five-day retreat for newly recruited staff of Harmony Holdings Limited, Ahmed said that government’s collaboration with the private sector in the running of its business enterprises is to ensure that such companies boost the Internally Generated Revenue of the state and shift emphasis from dependency on federal allocation.
Ahmed explained that the Harmony Holdings Limited public private partnership approach was to benchmark against global best practices to ensure that the company and its subsidiaries are properly run.
According to him: “A new sense of work culture of being target driven is necessary to meet the plethora of challenges as federal allocation alone cannot sustain the development of the states.
“Any state that will survive must come up with ingenuity in its operation.”
The governor charged the management and staff of the Harmony Holdings Limited to tap all hidden revenue potentials for the financial viability and prosperity of Kwara State.
He said the Holding company has the mandate to acquire assets and liabilities of existing government commercial entities in sectors as diverse as financial services, transportation, real estate, printing, publishing, agriculture, hospitality and oil and gas.
Ahmed added that the vision for Harmony Holdings Limited is to be among the top three government-owned holding companies in Nigeria with minimum annual revenue of N50 billion in 2032.
He added that for the achievement of this vision, Harmony Holding Limited will focus on sectors and value chain opportunities that will deliver significant economic activities, thereby boosting the revenue base of the state and also position government to deliver better services to the people.
The Chairman, Board of Directors of Harmony Holdings Limited, Prof. Halidu Abubakar, said the enterprise would be run as a gateway for the attraction of local and foreign investors by ensuring that the company and its subsidiaries become a world class institution.
Halidu said the retreat was designed to put the seed staff of the Harmony Holdings Limited in good stead for the challenges ahead.
Kwara to be less dependent on Federal Government – Ahmed
