The State of Osun
From The Report: Nigeria 2015
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Having been established in 1991, the State of Osun is one of the younger states in Nigeria, and in recent years the state government has made ambitious efforts to expand and develop the local economy. Named after the River Osun, linked to the Yoruba goddess of fertility, the state was carved out from the former territory of Oyo State during a boundary re-drawing in the 1990s. Over the past two and a half decades, Osun has grappled with many of the same challenges as other states in the country – poorly maintained infrastructure, irregular federal funding and inadequate social services – but a spate of reforms launched are aiming to address those issues. Although Osun does face its fair share of challenges, including a dependency on the volatile agricultural sector and neglected infrastructure, the current administration has taken a number of steps to block monetary leakages, improve project preparation and delivery, and raise internally generated revenue.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Reforms to drive growth in Nigeria’s south-western state of Osun
OBG
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Having been established in 1991, the State of Osun is one of the younger states in Nigeria, and in recent years the state government has made ambitious efforts to expand and develop the local economy. Named after the River Osun, linked to the Yoruba goddess of fertility, the state was carved out from the former territory of Oyo State during a boundary re-drawing in the 1990s. Over the past two and a half decades, Osun has grappled with many of the same challenges as other states in the country –…

Analysis

Boosting economic development and facilitating investment in Nigeria’s Osun State
OBG
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While it lacks the hydrocarbon resources of Nigeria’s Delta states and, with a modest population, has traditionally received one of the lowest amounts of revenue allocation from federal government, the State of Osun has nonetheless been aggressive about working to promote growth and development. Although Osun does face its fair share of challenges, including a large dependency on the volatile agricultural sector and neglected infrastructure, the current administration has taken a number of steps…

Analysis

Transport and infrastructure upgrades in Nigeria’s Osun State aim to enhance capacity and efficiency
OBG
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As part of the State of Osun’s public capital spending campaign, transport and water infrastructure are slated for a host of upgrades in terms of capacity and efficiency, while national initiatives to boost power provision and telecoms coverage should also benefit the local population. The state of infrastructure in Nigeria is a common concern for all levels of government, but there have been a host of public programmes that aim to change that. Receiving the highest state budget allocation, with…

Analysis

Investment opportunities in a number of sectors in Nigeria’s Osun State
OBG
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Even with such a large income-sensitive population, few markets in Africa offer the potential scale and consumer base as Nigeria, which makes the country a natural destination for manufacturers and industrial firms looking to gain a foothold in the region. High operating costs and cheap unregulated imports have traditionally made it difficult for producers to ensure cost-efficiencies and have dampened growth. However, state governments are taking increasingly aggressive measures to attract labour-intensive…