The Nation Newspaper

Category: Industry

  • Push to ban textile importation gathers momentum

    The National Assembly has joined the organised private sector (OPS) to add fillip to the push to ban the importation of textiles for five years. Stakeholders say the move will halt the high mortality rate of textile mills, create jobs, make local textiles competitive and boost the economy, writes OLUWAKEMI  DAUDA.

     

    Following the debate on a motion sponsored by Senator Kabir Barkiya from Katsina State during a plenary on “Urgent need to revamp the nation’s comatose textile industry,” the National Assembly has appealed to the Federal Government to provide the necessary infrastructural facilities, especially power supply to local textile manufacturing companies, to revamp the industry.

    The Senate also called on the government to encourage local textile manufacturing companies by providing them with soft loans and easy access to credit facilities through the Bank of Industry (BoI).

    During the debate, Sen Barkiya said the textile industry played a significant role in the manufacturing sector of the economy, with a record of over 140 companies in the 1960s and 1970s.

    He said: “The textile industry recorded an annual growth of 67 per cent and, as at 1991, employed more than 25 per cent of the workers in the manufacturing sector. The textile industry was then the highest employer of labour apart from the civil service.”

    He noted that the industry had witnessed a massive decline in the last two decades, with many companies such as Kaduna Textile, Kano Textile and Aba Textile, among others, closing shop and throwing their workers into the labour market.

    Stakeholders, who spoke with The Nation on the proposed ban, said the Senate’s appeal was a step in the right direction. According to them, the industry can  generate over $10 billion annually across the value chain and employ over two million people if the necessary support is given to the sector.

    The stakeholders cited an instance that it was due to the previous ban on importation of textiles that the industry witnessed the influx of many investors in 1960s and 1970s with some of them in Kaduna and Kano, who pursued backward integration.

    One of the stakeholders and a former worker of the moribund Aswani Textile Industry, Mr. Suarau Arogundade, who spoke with The Nation on the sideline of their meeting in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, commended the Senate for the initiative and urged the government to follow the lawmakers’ advice to boost the economy and create jobs.

    “Nigeria textile industry was one of the largest industries in Africa before it went under based on bad government policies. The industry employed over one million people in the 70s and 80s and controlled over 60 per cent of market share in the country. It accounted for over 60 per cent of the total capacity in West Africa and recorded an average growth rate of 12.5 per cent in 1970s. Then, the industry used to generate over $2 billion annually across the value chain based on the competitive advantage the country enjoyed during the period and it can generate over $10billion annually now, if the right policies are put in place by the Federal Government.

    “It is regrettable that about 10 years ago, the government took an unprecedented and giant step to revive Nigeria’s prostrate and comatose cotton and garment industry. But the bail-out initiative called the Cotton Textiles and Garment- CTG -Industry Revival Scheme that signaled the start of a N100billion injection of funds to kick-start an industry that once provided employment to the largest number of Nigerians, generated 25 per cent of the manufacturing GDP and contributed 20 per cent of corporate taxation revenue in the country did not yield the expected result,” Arogundade said.

    He, therefore, lauded the Senate’s move, saying it would complement the government’s efforts to put the textile industry back on track.

    He identified some constraints dogging the industry, which are insufficient cotton seeds for production, high cost of operation, smuggling and counterfeiting, high influx of cheap textile and garment products into the country, lack of enabling infrastructure, especially steady power supply, limited access to funds and poor production standards, among others.

    A garment manufacturer at the meeting, Mr. Williams Adegoroye, said Nigerians needed to support the move.

    “Considering our population and natural endowment, our textile industries are supposed to be playing a dominant role in the region just the way China has dominated the Asian market. Our textile industry with over 180 firms in the 1960s and 1970s ought to have penetrated and be in control of the regional market with Nigeria’s brands while extending the market beyond the West and Central African sub-region.

    “But it is a shame that this is not the case. Textile industry in the country used to be a large and flourishing industry and contributed enormously to the country’s employment generation, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), government revenues and non-export earnings, but we lost all that during the military rule,” he said.

    Adegoroye lamented the inability of the textile industry to take advantage of duty free exports to the United States (U.S) as encouraged by the U.S. African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) 2000.

    “Textile industry is a first-generation industry in Nigeria. The industry provides an industrial base for almost all countries. Kaduna Textile mills, established in 1956, was the first textile firm in the country, followed by Nigeria Textile Mills in Lagos in 1962. Other top textile mills in the country are Aswani Textile, Afprint, Enpee industries, United Nigerian Textile Limited, Arewa Textiles, Five Star, etc.,” he added.

    Adegoroye regretted that many of the textile industry stopped production due to poor operating environment in the country, adding that restoring them to their past glory was vital to the nation’s economic growth and the government’s job creation objectives

    He urged the National Assembly to resolve the challenges in accessing loan by the textile industry players.

    “Remember that in 2010, the government introduced N100 billion Cotton, Textile and Garment Revival Scheme to stabilise and resuscitate some closed factories.

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) later in 2016 floated a N50billion intervention fund as working capital, debt takeover and long-term loan to the Cotton, Textile and Garment value chain. Now is the time for the government to make public the names of the companies that have benefited from the funds,” he said.

    Also, an economist and textile importer, Mr. Frances Johnson threw his weight behind the National Assembly decision to ban the importation of textile into the country.

    He said the amount of foreign exchange they spent on importation of textiles was more than half of the amount needed to rebuild the failed textile companies.

    Johnson said the ban, if supported by the Federal Government, will inspire local production of textiles for both local and international markets.

    “This is a good initiative coming from the Senate, because if you look at what we spend on importation, it is huge; if that amount is used to develop local production, it will automatically impact on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    “It is high time the Federal Government controlled the levels of goods imported into the country. Too much dependence on importation is killing local industries due to unhealthy competition with foreign goods.

    “Based on our population, the country is a very good investment hub for foreign investors and companies because of the very ready market it had waiting to buy the textile products,’” he said.

    Johnson praised the Senate, saying once the government bans the importation of textile and the country has the capacity to produce, Nigerians will have no alternative than to purchase what we are producing locally and the sectors will begin to contribute significantly to the GDP.

    Government policy on the ban, he said, must include financial support to textile manufacturers with the provision of funds at single digits rate, to refit, retool and upgrade their factories in order to produce high quality textile materials for the local and international market.

    “Given the high domestic demand for textiles, the intervention of the Senate would be able to create jobs for the economy while increasing the production of textiles in the country.”

    Another stakeholder, Mr. Sunday Gabriel, said when the amount spent on outfits for social and religious activities on a weekly basis was considered, the potential market size would be well over $15 billion annually.

    Some of other stakeholders, who spoke with the paper, also commended the Senate for announcing the measures that may lead to revive the moribund textile industries.

    Read Also: Nigerians hail Senate over proposed five-year ban on textiles

     

    They, however, urged the government to strengthen the capacity of domestic industries and enhanced their competitiveness.

    A former union leader at Afprint, Mr. Alaba Yekinni, said the power issue must be addressed before the ban must be implemented.

    “It is impossible to achieve rapid industrialisation without resolving the issue of power and the deficit in key infrastructure.

    “Textile production is energy intensive.  This is a high energy cost environment and it is very difficult for any energy intensive sector to survive. That is why we want the Senate to ensure that the power issue is resolved before making their recommendations in black and white.

    He stated that trading in textiles was also a major economic activity in the country, both in the northern and southern parts, and many were making their living from it.

    “Many Nigerians make a living in the marketing of textiles.  The lawmakers cannot afford to ignore this segment of economic players.  The traders are the bridge between the producers and the consumers.

    “It is, therefore, very important for Federal Government to take into account the full ramifications of the consequences of policies and collateral outcomes before instituting the ban.

    Yekinni said the industry had been a beneficiary of several fiscal incentives and protectionist measures over the years, yet it had remained stagnant.

    He said: “Some of them have even gone into receivership as they could not repay their loans.  The lesson is that we should deal with the fundamental issues of production competitiveness in our economy.

    “The textile industry needs to be saved from the excruciating burden of high operating and production cost.”

    He added that for local textile industry to experience a boom in the line of the Executive Order, President Muhammad Buhari should order that all moribund textile companies be given one digit interest loans to revamp the industry.

    Barkiya had said government policies such as increase in taxation, high cost of production and trade liberalisation resulted in massive importation of textile materials and negatively affected local production.

    He said the resuscitation of the industry would provide additional revenue and assist the government to diversify the economy.

    Another lawmaker, Prof. Robert Boroffice, said the importation of textile materials was because of the comatose state of textile industry.

    “The closure of our borders is an eye-opener. China closed its borders for 40 years for its industrialisation and development.

    “I believe that the closure of our borders should be extended to allow us put our house in order,” Boroffice said.

  • Halima moves into driver’s seat at Dangote Group of Companies

    Halima moves into driver’s seat at Dangote Group of Companies

    Alhaji Aliko Dangote’s daughter, Halima, has finally assumed the driver’s seat of her father’s businesses. The word is everywhere that she has taken over as the Group Executive Director of Commercial Operations of Dangote Industries Limited, one of Africa’s largest and most diversified business conglomerates.

    Read Also: Sylva hails Dangote refinery project

     

    Halima Dangote is also a trustee of the philanthropic arm of the Group known as Aliko Dangote Foundation. She has worked in different arms of the Group, setting new standards and influencing performance in the area of profit.

    She is the President of the Board of the African Centre in New York and a member of The Women Corporate Directors.

    Halima Dangote is coming into this new position with a lot of cutting-edge experience, having studied in Ivy League schools across the globe.

  • How lack of co-ordination is affecting Nigeria’s share of international trade

    At the just-concluded Lagos International Trade Fair, manufacturers and other stakeholders said Nigeria’s involvement in international trade has tilted heavily in favour of imports. OLUWAKEMI DAUDA reports that they urged President Muhammadu Buhari to promote co-ordination among regulators and stakeholders to address the factors militating against the diversification agenda of the government.

     

    Nigeria’s involvement in international trade became a major focus at the just- concluded 10-day Lagos International Trade Fair, which held at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Onikan.

    Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President, Mr. Babatunde Ruwase, who spoke at the event with the theme: “Connecting businesses, creating value”, underscored the importance of robust business interactions to generate wealth and create value for the advancement of the economy and the welfare of the citizens.

    “The force of globalisation has reinforced the need to connect businesses. UNCTAD research has shown that business linkages represent one of the best ways for SMEs to enhance their competitiveness and acquire a series of critical   missing   assets,   such   as   access   to   international   markets, finance, technology, management skills and specialised knowledge.

    “A good tempo of trade and commercial activities is a critical driver of economic growth as no economy can expand to   create opportunities for its population.”

    Stakeholders, who spoke with The Nation on the sidelines of the well- attended event, said the economy has tilted in favour of imports. On the export side, the stakeholders lamented that over 90 per cent of trade relies on crude oil for a country hitherto known as a major exporter of agricultural produce, such as cocoa, palm-oil, groundnuts and grains.

    A manufacturer and exporter, Chief Abiodun Oladunjoye, said this is apart from the fact that the country boasts of large quantities of solid minerals in the 36 states that can be exported.

    “There are two angles to international trade – import and export – and despite popular view, the country has been very active on the international trading scene. But the results have been largely disappointing because of our level of involvement in terms of goods and services we have for sale.

    “Apart from oil, it is sad to state that the country lacks the necessary co-ordination between the regulators and stakeholders that lead to the sale of made in Nigeria goods and services, which could be either produce, raw materials, spare parts, semi-finished or finished goods or consulting services from the country into foreign markets that can result in the in-flow of foreign currency – called export proceeds to boost the economy and create employment.

    Read Also: Nigeria, Russia partner to revive Ajaokuta

     

    “The problem affecting the economy is on the export side and this has been the challenge since the fall of the commodity board in 1986. Efforts by the previous administrations to correct the sorry situation have remained a mirage. Successive administrations have set up many laudable agencies like the National Food and Drug Administration Commission (NAFDAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria, (SON), Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Bank of Industry (BoI), Raw Materials Research & Development Council (RMRDC), and the Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) to boost non-oil exports.

    “But it is sad and very disheartening that almost 32 years after, there are no signs of co-ordination and collaboration between appointed regulators and stakeholders,” he said

    Many committees, he noted, had been set up at state and federal levels to come up with the recommendations and proffer solutions to the challenges militating against the country in international trade. According to him, most the recommendations, however, were being locked up in cabinets in the various ministries and parastatals.

    But a senior Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) official, who craved anonymity, berated stakeholders, staying that despite the laudable incentives for exporters and efforts by the government at various levels, the country’s share of international trade “is seriously below the government’s expectation because since the advent of President Buhari’s administration, the business environment  is no longer tough because government’s policies are more focused on export than imports and that is what led to border closure, which some stakeholders have been criticising unnecessarily.

    But the official agreed that there is the need for the government to address the barriers to exports as part of measures to develop sustainable routes to foreign markets

    “If we listen to the noise surrounding the border closure, it shows that our people are  more attracted to imports while the government is trying to put in place the support structures for export. Lack of effective linkage between the stakeholders and government agencies, poor manpower in the non-oil sectors and dearth of information to support youths across the country are the problems confronting the export business.”

    The official stressed the need for greater cooperation and coordination between the regulators and the various stakeholders, including  the public and private sectors amid civil society organisations and nongovernmental organisations among others so that the country can take its rightful share of the trade.

    A service provider and commodity trader, Mr Adewale Adetona, said the problem with Nigeria is that too much attention was focused in the past on developing structures to support importation at the detriment of exportation, which is not allowing the country to take its share of international trade because of some trade barriers.

    The barriers, according to him, include administrative procedures, quantitative restrictions, price controls, licensing requirements, product labelling requirements and privacy requirements.

     

    Trade barriers take two forms

    • Tariff barriers—Tariff barriers are taxes imposed by the government on imports or exports of goods. These taxes can be used to increase the cost of imported products, make input available to domestic producers at more competitive prices and raise revenues for governments.
    • Non-tariff barriers—Non-tariff barriers can affect goods and services. Sometimes referred to as “red tape”, these barriers include quotas, boycotts, licences, standards and heavy regulations, local content requirements, restrictions on foreign investment, domestic government purchasing policies, exchange controls and subsidies.

    For these barriers to be removed, Adetona said: “There must be a robust co-ordination between the regulators and stakeholders.’’

    He berated a situation where government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) were working at cross-purposes with too much emphasis on revenue generation as an indicator of success. The worst of this situation is that even with its closest neighbours, Nigeria manages to perform poorly in trade. Within the ECOWAS sub-region, Nigeria, as the largest economy, continues to struggle against Cote d’Ivoire and Benin Republic. Sadly, most of the revenue targets focus on imports and with little or no attention on exports to our neighbouring countries.

    Other stakeholders, who spoke with The Nation, said countries, such as Ghana and Republic of Benin, are cashing in on Nigeria’s free import economy to push and smuggle  prohibited and dangerous goods into the country.

    ‘’To address this situation, one of them, Mr Friday Solomon, said the  administration must revisit some of the past agreements on the free movement of goods and services in the sub-region and come up with a policy that will promote the country’s share in international trade.”

     

    ‘If we listen to the noise surrounding the border closure, it shows that our people are  more attracted to imports while the government is trying to put in place the support structures for export. Lack of effective linkage between the stakeholders and government agencies, poor manpower in the non-oil sectors and dearth of information to support youths across the country are the problems confronting the export business’

  • ‘Locally manufactured pencils’ll save Nigeria over $2.4b yearly’

    By Emeka Ugwuanyi

     

    An entrepreneur, Mr. Muideen Ibrahim, has said locally-produced pencils will save the country over $2.4 billion (N734.4 billion), if supported by the Federal Government.

    Ibrahim, the chief executive officer, BAMIB Resources and Investment Company Limited, stated this in Lagos.

    He said it was important for the government to discourage importation of goods that could be produced in the  country.

    The manufacturer called for government support to indigenous pencil firms to prevent its importation.

    “There are a lot of multiplier effects we shall give the country, some of which are backward integration of our major raw materials and basic components and massive employment opportunities and contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP). It will also aid strategic investments in other sectors and boost foreign direct investments, among others,” he said.

    Ibrahim said there was need for the government to increase the tariffs on imported pencils or ban its importation to encourage indigenous pencil manufacturers. He said this had worked in the rice sector and other allied products.

    He said as a result of this, a lot of people went into rice production and the country was better for it.

    Read Also: Pencil production begins in Nigeria

     

    Ibrahim urged the government to do something urgently for the pencil manufacturers as local manufacturers were suffering and dying.  He urged the government to enforce the Executive Order 3 and Executive Order 5 to the letter for effective patronage of local products.

    He said: “Unfortunately, the government is still paying lip service to these very good and apt Executive Orders. There must be a committee that will drive these orders and make them work.

    “Not only that, the government must walk the talk on ease of doing business. This is one of the ways to help local manufacturers. Aside from that, there must be aggressive promotions on patriotism.

    “I wonder what is happening to the National Orientation Agency. That agency used to be very vibrant. Call the manufacturers to a roundtable and the government must implement their decisions.  The bane of our challenge in this country is implementation of policies.”

    He said BAMIB’s production capacity is in excess of 450 million pencils yearly. He said there was room for expansion, adding that it was a function of demand and supply.

    He said the company had not broken even and could not even meet its obligations promptly because of many challenges that were militating against it. He however noted that the challenges were surmountable, if the government intervened to ensure sustainability.

    “The challenges confronting us are so numerous, some of which are unhealthy rivalry and stiff competition from low quality pencils from some foreign countries.They use price mechanism to push us out of the market and we cannot sell below our cost price due to the fact that we are operating in a harsh environment and thereby making our production cost high. Multiple taxation and are ports congestion are another big challenge. There are so many agencies at the various ports, technology can be deployed in the ports for efficiency and effectiveness.

  • Nigerians hail Senate over proposed five-year ban on textiles

     

    NIGERIANS have commended the leadership of the Senate over its proposed five-year ban on textile products.
    The Nigerians, who included jobless youths, said the Presidency should support the Senate to create jobs to reduce the large number of unemployed youths.

    A member of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Lagos State, Mr. Yinka Adegbola, praised the Senate, saying that the ban would take the industry out of the woods.

    He said the ban was in line with the Federal Government’s efforts to revive the moribund textile sector.
    “We appreciate the laudable efforts of the Senate that will assist in improving and not mortgaging our economy.

    With the proposed five- year ban, the economy will grow under a robust circumstance. We will no longer depend on China and India for things that can be locally produced.

    “We need to protect our industries because there are various stages of development – when we crawl, fall, stand, walk, and within this period, we scrutinise ourselves for changes.

    A textile worker, Mr Alaba Arogundade, said the ban would end the unnecessary competition that killed local textile manufacturers.

    “ The ban will allow our factories to produce excellently. No matter the initial odds against them, the more they produce and are in the market, the greater their chances of improvement,” he said.

    Few days ago, the Senate appealed to the Federal Government to ban textiles to encourage local production.
    This followed the debate on a motion sponsored by Senator Kabir Barkiya (APC-Katsina Central) during plenary on “Urgent need to revamp the nation’s comatose textile industry”.

    The upper chamber appealed to the Federal Government to provide the infrastructural facilities, especially power supply to local textile manufacturing firms to revamp the industry. It stressed the need the government’s stronger motivation to encourage local textile manufacturing companies, by providing them with soft loans and easy access to credit facilities through the Bank of Industry (BoI).

     

    Read Also: Benin Enterprise Park: Obaseki seals $200m investment for textile industry

    Debating the motion, Barkiya noted that the industry played a significant role in the manufacturing sector with a record of over 140 firms in the 1960s and 1970s.

    “The textile industry recorded an annual growth of 67 per cent and as at 1991, employed above 25 per cent of the workers in the manufacturing sector.

    He said: “The textile industry was then the highest employer of labour apart from the civil service.”
    He noted that the industry had witnessed massive decline in the last two decades with many textile companies, such as Kaduna Textile, Kano Textile and Aba Textile, closing shops and throwing their workers into the job market.

    The lawmaker further said government policies like increased taxation, high cost of production, trade liberalisation resulting in massive importation of textile materials had negatively affected the production of local textile materials.

    Barkiya said the resuscitation of the industry would provide more revenue and assist the government to diversify the economy.

    Contributing, Senator Robert Boroffice (APC-Ondo North), said the importation of textile materials was as a result of the comatose level of the industry.

    “The closure of our borders is an eye opener. China closed its borders for 40 years for its industrialisation and development.

    “I believe that the closure of our borders should be extended to allow us put our house in order,” he added.
    Boroffice, who is the Deputy Senate Leader, said the extension of the closure of the borders would serve as an opportunity to resuscitate the textile industry among others that had been affected by smuggling.

  • ‘Why tax compliance must be consistent’

    By Ambrose Nnaji  

     

    Nigeria’s tax system is confronted with many problems, which include multiplicity of taxes, bad administration, non-availability of database and policy inconsistency.

    To solve the problem, the Nigerian- Norwegian Chamber of Commerce (NNCC) Chairman, Chijioke Igwe, has canvassed the need to harmonise tax laws to enable stakeholders understand them.

    He spoke at a Breakfast Meeting of the chamber in Lagos.

    Speaking on the theme: “The Nigerian tax compliance challenge: Companies vs. regulatory authorities”, he said the harmonisation became necessary to ensure that firms stayed within the law.

    Igwe said a some of the objectives of the chamber was to quantify the volume of businesses yearly, adding  that there  is a dearth of data on that.

    Read Also: Nigeria among world’s top 20 in tax collection, says Fowler

    NNCC Director-General Sarah Dumbrill noted that there were opportunities in every sector. She, however, stated that Norwegian firms had competence and technology to contribute to the  economy.

    “Norway is a great market and can address a lot of challenges, so, it’s always easy for them to find new opportunities and obviously in Africa. Nigeria is one of the biggest markets in Africa and it’s going to continue growing so it’s important for companies to come and see what’s happening and find a niche.

    ‘’A lot of new sectors are opening in Nigeria from Norwegian companies from Information Communication Technology (ICT), renewables, aquaculture The Norwegian companies are more willing to come to West Africa to do business, find partners, she stated, adding its very important for them to have a clear vision of what the tax regulation is in Nigeria is all about.’’

    She continued: “Business is growing and will still grow between Nigeria and Norway. We are in the oil and gas sector. We are also into aquaculture; aquaculture business has been on for over 200 years and still growing. Nigeria is still quite unknown from the European countries, so it’s a challenge for them to come here, it’s not emerging market but as soon as we conclude on this discussion they will always find businesses and this is the opportunity,” she said.

    She admitted that it was a challenge coming to Nigeria but  that  they were determined to do business here. She observed that opportunities exist in the oil and gas, education, agriculture sectors.

  • Leap Africa partners Union Bank on Social Innovators Awards

    LEAP Africa in collaboration with Union Bank is set to hold the annual Innovators Programme and Awards (SIPA) 2019 at the Shell Hall of the Muson  Centre, Lagos on November 14.

    The 2019 SIPA is the seventh edition of the awards ceremony where LEAP Africa, with the support of Union Bank, will unveil emerging Nigerian social innovators and change agents under the age of 35, who are operating in diverse fields across the country. The organisers will offer the innovators one year sponsorship fellowship that would enable them grow their innovations into sustainable and thriving businesses.

    Read Also: UBA partners BA to reward loyal customers

     

    President and CEO of Mastercard Foundation, Reeta Roy, will deliver the keynote address at the event, and will speak on this year’s theme, “People, Profit, Planet: The Tripartite Win”. The theme was meant to advance the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework and the possibilities of realising human development, sustainable enterprises and a safer planet. Prior to joining the Foundation, Roy was the Divisional Vice President of Global Citizenship and Policy at Abbott and was Vice President of the Abbott Fund. Roy also worked at the United Nations before joining the private sector.

    He will be joined by globally recognised professionals including  Managing Director JNC International, Clare Omatseye; Founder of MitiMeth, Achenyo Idachaba-Obaro; Special Assistant to Lagos State Governor on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Acting Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Solape Hammond amongst other award-winning social innovators in Nigeria as panelists at the 2019 SIPA.

    This years edition of the Social Innovators programme awards aims to bring key stakeholders and leaders across various business sphere to drive conversations, proffer solutions and highlight opportunities for collaboration in actualizing the SDGs. This year’s SIPA is supported by Union Bank, one of the country’s foremost banks.

     

     

  • Japan woos trade fair visitors with innovative products

     

    THIRTY-seven affiliated Japanese firms, their agents and local distributors exhibiting at the on-going Lagos International Trade Fair (LITF) were the delight of visitors who thronged the Japan Pavilion, drawn mostly by its array of innovative and quality products.

    The LITF is West Africa’s largest international exhibition. The 10-day event started last Friday, at the Main Bowl of the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, Nigeria. It will end on November 10.

    The fair, which features Nigerian and foreign exhibitors from various sectors, is an opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their products, inventions, services and innovations to Nigerian and foreign participants.

    The Japanese firms won the hearts of not a few visitors who could not resist their exciting innovation and quality products on display.

    Some of the exhibitors located at the Japan Pavilion told The Nation on Saturday that they were at the fair to showcase the best of Japanese innovation and quality to customers.

    For instance, the Country Manager of Sato Nigeria, Mr. Michael Adegbe, said the company came to offer customers a smart choice for a better toilet experience. He said its range of innovative, smart and fresh toilets help upgrade latrines for rural-urban dwellers.

    Adegbe stated that with the company’s range of cost-effective, easy-to-install products, Sato Nigeria, which is a part of Lixil Corporation, Japan, was aimed at making Nigeria open defecation free.

    “We want Nigeria to achieve the 2025 target of becoming open defecation free. That’s why Sato is here,” he said, noting that at the moment, many Nigerians practice open deification.

    “So, our products will solve the problem. I believe all of us have used a pit latrine before; you know the flies and the disease that cone out from there. Our technology helps eliminate these.

    “The interesting thing is that the products are affordable, safe and they save water. With a pack of sachet water, you can clean it after use,” Adegbe said.

    According to him, the retail price of the products ranges from N1,600 to N3, 000. And the good thing is that they can accommodate any user despite this or her body size.

    Sato Deputy General Manager, Sales Coordination, Suguu Sakata, said the firm was in six African countries.

    Also dangling the proverbial carrot in the form of innovative and quality products to visitors is Toyokalon, a Japanese company supplying Expression, a Nigerian company, the raw materials for making synthetic hair.

    The Marketing Manager, Expression, Mrs. Grace Ejikeme, said while Toyokalon is owned by Denca, Japan, Expression is the Nigerian company that finishes the raw materials brought by Toyokalon.

    Read Also: LBS, Toonwalk woo investors for 50-man exhibition

    “They (Toyokalon) is giving us what we want and Nigeria and Africa as a whole is satisfied with what we produce with their raw material. The relationship has lasted for over a decade, Mrs. Ejikeme told The Nation. She also said the stream of visitors to its stand was a confirmation of its acceptance by Nigerians.

    The Japan Pavilion, which is, arguably, the centre of attraction at the fair, caters for Japan’s huge presence. The pavilion, according to the Trade Commissioner/Managing Director, Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), Mr. Shigyo Nishizawa, was organised by JETRO in collaboration with the Embassy of Japan.

    He told The Nation that the pavilion housed the 37 Japanese affiliated companies participating at this year’s fair, the highest number of Japanese companies ever to exhibit at the LITF.

    Nishizawa noted that the year marks the sixth of JETRO’s participation at the fair since the organisation started in 2014 with the Japan pavilion, which is one of the biggest pavilions at the fair.

    JETRO is a Japanese governmental organisation that promotes mutual trade and investment between Japan and the rest of the world. It focuses on promoting investment and facilitating trade from Japan to Nigeria.

  • Entrepreneurship: New players emerge

    Four Nigerians are leading the pack of new generation of potential game changers in Africa’s digital economy. They are among the top 10 finalists from across Africa that will compete for $1 million grant at the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative in Ghana, next month. Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA writes that the inspiring stories of these entrepreneurs have caught the attention of African and global entrepreneurs and investors ready to assist them build a more-sustainable and inclusive digital economy for the continent. 

     

    Ayodeji Arikawe, co-founder and Chief Technical Officer (CTO) for Thrive Agric, an agricultural technology-enabled company, is off to a good start.

    Thrive Agric, which works with smallholder farmers to empower them with greater access to finance, as well as improve their income and harvest distribution, works with 22,000 farmers in the country.

    Although the company has its eyes set on building the largest network of farmers in Africa, Arikawe, who is an accomplished software engineer, looks good to accomplish his mission to build an Africa that feeds the world and itself.

    Arikawe’s emergence as one of the four lucky Nigerian netpreneurs for the grand finale of the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (ANPI) scheduled to take place in Accra, Ghana, on November 16, this year, attests to this.

    Spearheaded by the Jack Ma Foundation, the ANPI is a philanthropic initiative aimed at supporting and inspiring the next generation of African entrepreneurs across all sectors, who are building a more sustainable and inclusive economy for the future of the continent.

    The Jack Ma Foundation will host a full-day Africa Netpreneur Summit, an invitation-only conference where African and global entrepreneurs, investors, educators, and leaders will convene to discuss how best to enable entrepreneurship and the digital economy across the continent.

    Apart from Arikawe, three other Nigerians netpreneurs that will lead the pack of budding digital entrepreneurs at the summit include Founder and CEO, LifeBank, Temie Giwa-Tubosun; Founder, Black Swan, Dr. Tosan J. Mogbeyiteren; and Co-founder, DrugStoc, Chibuzo Opara.

    The quartet, The Nation learnt, are among the 10 finalists representing a range of industries and experience; they were chosen from about 10, 000 applicants from 50 African countries to lead the way for Africa’s emerging digital economy.

    Nigeria’s Giwa-Tubosun’s LifeBank is a medical distribution company that uses data and technology to help health workers discover critical medical products. The company is said to have saved over 5, 300 lives in Nigeria.

    The Founder has over 10 years of health-management experience with Department for International Development, the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Development Programme and Lagos State.

    In recognition of her pioneering work, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in 2014, listed her as one of the 100 women changing the world. She was also recognised by Quartz and the World Economic Forum.

    On his part, Founder, Black Swan Tech Limited, Mogbeyiteren, is a public-health specialist with more than 13 years of experience in deploying technology to solve development challenges in Nigeria.

    He is helping to solve Nigeria’s public-health challenges by deploying an automated scheduling, GPS-enabled software-as-a-service that uses a combination of digital record keeping and community engagement to increase birth registration and early childhood immunizations.

    Black Swan is working with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Nigeria to expand WeMUNIZE coverage in northern Nigeria.

    Also, DrugStoc, co-founded by Opara, is a cloud-based pharmaceutical IT and logistics platform focused on eliminating counterfeit drugs, expanding access to pharmaceutical products and improving transparency in pricing for healthcare providers and the product supply chain.

    Opara is a health economist and medical doctor with over 12 years of experience in the health sector. He has worked with the World Health Organisation, the World Bank, and the International Finance Corporation.

    While these four Nigerians are evidently leading the much-needed change in Africa’s digital economy landscape, they are joined by other finalists from across Africa including CEO, Mumm, Waleed Abd El Rahman (Egypt); Founder and CEO, J-Palm, Mahmud Johnson (Liberia); Co-founder and CEO, UZURI K&Y, Kevine Kagirimpundu (Rwanda).

    Read Also: Lifting entrepreneurship through microfinance

    Others new kids on the entrepreneur bloc are Founder, Water Access Rwanda, Christelle Kwizera  (Rwanda); Founder and CEO, Nawah-Scientific, Dr. Omar Sakr (Egypt); and Co-founder and CEO, Afrikrea, Moulaye Taboure (Cote D’Ivoire).

    El Rahman’s Mumm is a virtual cafeteria for businesses, harnessing the power of shared economy through technology, cloud kitchens and an online marketplace for home-based entrepreneurial cooks.

    El Rahman is a seasoned entrepreneur with more than 12 years’ experience in food tech. He is also the former founding managing director of MIT Technology Review-Middle East and a member of the Advisory Committee of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community.

    J-Palm Liberia (JPL) was founded with the goal of making premium consumer goods while creating income-earning and employment opportunities through sustainable palm-oil production.

    When JPL was first founded, palm oil kernels had been going to waste in Liberia, but Johnson found a way to innovate productive uses for this overlooked natural resource.

    Today, JPL has created a range of beauty and clean-energy products, built a robust network of partnerships across the country, and helped to create jobs for hundreds of Liberians.

    On its part, Kagirimpundu’s UZURI K&Y is an African-inspired eco-friendly shoe brand established in Rwanda. She is passionate about ending global waste while also leveraging her creativity to create employment opportunities for her community.

    UZURI is said to have have made a direct impact on more than 750 people through employment and skills training.

    In addition to obtaining her degree in creative design, Kagirimpundu has participated in numerous entrepreneurship programs to enhance her skills in business development. In 2017, she was recognised as the winner of the Made in Rwanda Enterprise of the Year.

    Kwizera, the Rwandan finalist, pioneered INUMA, a safe water micro-grid that reclaims broken boreholes and transforms them into state-of-the-art solar-powered water kiosks and pipelines.

    The water is sold for $1/1000 litre and creates off-farm jobs for youth. Water Access Rwanda employs 68 people, and allows 47,612 customers to access water daily across 86 stations.

    Kwizera is a mechanical engineer and was named INCO’s woman entrepreneur of the year, among other high-profile awards.

    The finalists were shortlisted after months of judging and deliberation. They will now go on to finally pitch their business during the Nov. 16 taping of “Africa’s Business Heroes,” a televised event scheduled to air on November 29 in countries across Africa.

    Just how much of the $1 million prize pool they will receive will depend on four judges: Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma, Econet Group founder and Executive Chairman Strive Masiyiwa.

    Others are FirstBank of Nigeria Chairman and The Chair Centre Group founder Mrs Ibukun Awosika and Alibaba Group Executive Vice Chairman Joe Tsai.

    Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma
    Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma

    Guest speakers at the conference will include Ban Ki-moon, Former UN Secretary-General and Co-chair of the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens. The conference will be followed by the “Africa’s Business Heroes” event in the evening.

    Jack Ma said: “We launched the Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative to identify top entrepreneurs from across the continent, not only to reward them but to inspire a whole new generation of potential game changers for Africa.

    “I have been inspired by the entrepreneurs I met in Africa, many of whom are dealing with the same challenges we faced when we started Alibaba years ago. I truly believe the potential of Africa’s business heroes is limitless.”

    Ma, in a statement made available to The Nation, said the “Africa’s Business Heroes” will air on November 29, while highlights from the Africa Netpreneur Summit will also be shared via ANPI social media handles.

  • Disasters: NISE awardee urges FG to enforce HSE law

    Bassey Anthony, Uyo

    Engineer Chinedu Ogwu, a senior staff of Total E&P Nigeria Limited, has appealed to the Federal Government to enforce the health, safety and environment (HSE) law in order to mitigate the rising cases of environmental, health and industrial disasters.

    He made the appeal during an interview with The Nation on Thursday after his conferment as fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Safety Engineers.

    Ogwu said that the enforcement of the HSE law will empower safety engineers in the country and help tackle the problems of collapsed building, oil and gas explosion as well as unhealthy environments among others.

    “As safety engineers are committed to advancing further measures to safeguard workers, and continuously improve safety standards to guarantee a safe and healthy work environment for the sustainability of safety engineering in the industry.

    “Therefore, the Nigerian Institution of Safety Engineers need the empowerment of the federal government to enforce HSE law and order that would minimize disasters of gas explosion, collapse buildings, unhealthy street environments etc. which usually chomp through lives and property.

    “We are ready and willing to assist the federal government when called upon to develop standards that would avoid collapse of infrastructures, promote healthy living environment and reduce industrial accidents”, he said.

    READ ALSO: ‘Nigeria’s potentials in safety sector remains untapped’

    On the merit award conferred on him, Ogwu said the NISE may have decided to honour him because of his many contributions and experiences in safety engineering in the oil and gas sector.

    “I thank God for the honor accorded me to become a Fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Safety Engineers (FNISafetyE). It is a height that many people are looking forward to reach but I thank God.”

    He said, “my task as a fellow of the NISE is to enhance safety engineering in the oil and gas industry as well as provide the needed expertise to mitigate environmental and industrial disasters”