The Federal Government said on Monday in Abuja, that it was determined to address the issue of infrastructural decay causing impediments to industrial growth.

President Goodluck Jonathan said this at the opening ceremony of the 1st Non-Oil Export Conference held in Abuja.

The Minister of Commerce and Industry, Sen. Jubril Martins-Kuye, represented Jonathan on the occasion.

“This administration, has taken cognisance of infrastructural deficiencies as some of the impediments of our industrial growth and is fully determined to address the issues decisively,” he said.

He said that such problems were the reasons the Federal Government came up with the 7- Point Agenda, which formed the major policy thrust of the administration.

He said the government was fully aware that partnership with the private sector was imperative for the sound and efficient management of the national economy.

Jonathan noted that the development of Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (SMSEs) as well as creation of jobs had been identified as part of the main vehicles for achieving speedy economic growth.

He, however, recalled that the past few years had shown how difficult it was for the small businesses to thrive in a highly competitive business environment.

The president said with the passage of the bill on SMSEs, would serve as a focal point for government’s programmes on poverty alleviation.

According to him, this would create jobs, ensure acquisition of technology and sustainable development at the grass-root level.

The government, he said, had succeeded in creating an enabling environment where establishment of small businesses had become possible.

He stressed that the government could afford to continue with a “business as usual” approach based on foreign crafted development paradigms.

He urged the participants at the conference to put their money where the country’s needs were and accordingly, work closely with the government to put in place people-oriented programmes.

Hajiya Jamila Suka, who represented Martins-Kuye, said it was time to make a definite break with the past and go ahead to build a sustainable economy driven essentially by non-oil export.

She said the economy ,was characterised by high unemployment rate, low GDP, rising population, low productivity, poor capacity utilisation, escalating insecurity and poor skills.