Mr. Laoye Jaiyeola, President of Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), has called on the federal government to identify key sectors of the economy, especially Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and the agricultural sectors and empower them in order to sustain the economy during the post-COVID-19 era. He advised the federal government to invest in agriculture and leverage technology in empowering states and small businesses like the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), to enable them to become innovative and more productive in sustaining the economy during the post-pandemic era.

Jaiyeola described the Economic Sustainability Committee, headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, which was set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to address the economy in the post-pandemic era, as a good initiative, but advised that government must focus on key sectors of the economy and leverage technology to achieve the committee’s objectives.

He said: “After COVID-19, global economies are expected to suffer a decline in GDP because of the adverse effect of COVID-19 and Nigeria’s GDP is expected to contract by three per cent this year. As a country, we need to diversify and government needs to pump more money into the economy. Government also needs to identify some key priority areas like agriculture and technology that will add significant value to the Nigerian economy. Government must create the enabling environment for MSMEs to thrive in the post-COVID-19 era.” This Day