Category: Industry

Despite being adjudged one of the fastest growing economies in the world, Nigeria is yet to key into the best practices in health and safety standard, President, American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), Nigerian chapter, Mr. Jeff ‘Vwede Obahor, has said. Obahor told The Nation that Nigeria with about 37.2 billion barrels of oil reserves  and daily production of 2.3 million barrels has no legislation on safety policy to guide not only the oil and gas industry, but also the construction  sector.

He said the Safety and Health Bill, which has gone through first reading, was yet to move from that position, signifying the lack of importance attached to the bill by the legislators.

He said the bill when passed and operational would  be  all-encompassing  and multi-faceted, covering Workmen Compensation Right, which will cover all categories of workers in manufacturing sector at any given point in time.

Obahor said it would also force firms not only to be safety conscious, but also  liable whenever  there is an accident involving any of their workers while carrying out their duties.

He regretted cases of some workers who sustained injuries while at work and can never be gainfully employed again without adequate compensation. While calling for the passage of the bill, he mainatained that the nation would be better for it, as workers would have their rights protected and adequately compensated in case of permanent disability or outright sack.

A health and safety consultant, Mr. Victor Alabi, also harped on the need to pass the bill, saying that workers would have the right to refuse job offers if they feel they would not be adequately protected in a work environment as done in other climes.

He called on the legislature to work hard to ensure the bill is passed into law this year to make the operating environment attractive to genuine investors and also offer a window to punish investors who treat workers badly.

He said the new safety measure was not to have security men all over the country, rather it is to have less security presence but maximum security.

The Dangote 3X cement hit the market with a bang. To those in the building and construction industry, the “Big Oga”, as it is called, should be the cement of first choice because of its invaluable properties. Assistant Editors Chikodi Okereocha and Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie report.

For operators and stakeholders in the building and con struction industry, the long search for quality and standardisation in the cement industry is over.

The unveiling of the Dangote 3x Cement , the first of its kind in Africa, has rekindled hope of a major boost for cement manufacturing companies. It has also positioned the local cement brands for the much-needed international competitiveness. The new brand and latest addition to the stable of Dangote Cement Plc comes in a 50 kilogramme bag of 42.5R grade.

With three unique characteristics of strength, extra yield and extra life, experts say that Dangote Cement has leveraged the 3x brand to realise its goal of becoming a truly pan-African champion in the cement sub-sector, capable of competing globally with the largest cement firms in terms of quality and standard. Already, the standard for cement production all over the world has moved to 42.5 grade of cement, which is why Dangote 3x, tagged ‘Big Oga’ is seen by experts as attesting to the firm’s resolve to raise the bar on cement standards.

As Group Managing Director, Dangote Cement Plc, Mr. Devakumar V.G. Edwin, pointed out at the launch of the cement in Lagos, the extra strength and rapid drying property of Dangote 3x make it the first choice for builders and contractors.

Already, the government of Senegal, a country adjudged to have the highest cases of collapsed building in Africa because of the prevalence of 32.5 cement brand, has banned 32.5, insisting on 42.5 grade to checkmate the menace.

Stakeholders in Nigeria’s building and construction industry are no less upbeat that the new cement is capable of halting the rising incidents of collapsed building in the country.

President, Lagos State Bricklayers Association, Deacon Abel Olusegun Kayode, echoed the hope of bricklayers when he said over three million bricklayers in the state use an average of four bags of cement daily. He said the improved cement formula is stronger and, therefore, a major factor in checking the incessant cases of building collapse. He added that 3x brand, which is 42.5 grade, dries faster, making building quicker thus, creating more income  to bricklayers.

General Secretary of the association, Mr. Akinmoladun Olaniyi, could not agree less, stressing that the new cement brand has improved their block making and income generating capacity.

Olaniyi, who could not hide his excitement on the improved quality and standard of the new cement, went a notch higher, calling on other cement manufacturing firms to follow suit and raise the bar to improve on their performance. According to him, the improved 3x 45.2  cement grade is stronger than other varieties in the market.

Similarly, a representative of Association of Housing Corporations of Nigeria (AHCN), Mr. Toyin Eniola, gave the initiative by Dangote Cement the thumbs up, assuring that the association would engage the brand in its various construction in all states. Decrying the rate of building collapse and the housing deficit, which he put at 17 million, he said the optimism that the 3x, 42.5 brand would check building collapse and also quicken housing delivery.

Eniola urged the government to encourage other cement manufacturers to follow in the footsteps of Dangote. His position aligns with that of the Group’s Chief Marketing Officer, Dangote Cement Plc, Mr. Oare Ojeikere, who described the new and improved cement brand as timely. According to him, the brand is coming at a time there are lots of expectations from the recently launched Mortgage Refinance Company where developers can access fund on a single digit interest rate.

He observed that this is unlike what obtains where banks give funds at double interest rate, which has not only stifled construction and home ownership, but also widened the housing gap to over 17 million units. He said the new product would attract new users, especially now that there is heightened awareness on the need to check collapse of building.

The new 3x, 42.5 cement grade has ben okayed by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON). An official of the agency’s Civil and Building Department, Mr. Onipede Adeoye, said the  new Dangote cement grade met standard specification  and parameters for quality. He also urged other manufacturing firms to do so same, stressing the readiness of SON to eradicate building failures caused by poor quality cement.

Adeoye said since the world is a global village, Nigeria must not be left behind in standards specification. He urged Dangote Cement to join forces with SON to train bricklayers and other artisans in the sector on the proper mix of cement with water and sand to have the highest quality of blocks.

The Honorary Adviser to President, Dangote Group, Mr. Joseph Makoju, said the new cement is a product of long years of research and development. He said a bag of the new 42.5R variety is equivalent to one-and-a-half bag of the regular bag. He advised the public to patronise the new brand to get better results.

The new product is enjoying patronage. A dealer in cement, Chief Iheakandu Emerole in Ikotun/Igando a of Lagos suburb, told The Nation many property developers are asking for the new product. He, however, expressed fears over possible backlash on other brands that fail to upgrade immediately. He said such brands may be hit by low patronage.

Noting that the market has generally not been good in the last six months, he advised the government to build the necessary infrastructure to help the cement sub-sector. He called on Bank of Industry (BoI) to grant loans to other cement firms who may not muster the kind of financial muscle that Dangote has to save the industry.

A cement importer, who declined to have his name in print, wondered why local cement producers should still be allowed to produce 32.5 grade when all over the world standard has moved to 42.5 grade. He argued that if cases of collapsed building must be checked, there is need for other cement manufacturers to expand their infrastructure to produce the higher grade of cement.

He said if the government is serious about the backward integration policy in the sub-sector, it should ensure that the right thing is done, which is to encourage cement manufacturers to emphasise quality and standard.

He, however, argued that by insisting on the importation of only 42.5 grade while allowing local manufacturers to produce 32.5 grade, the government is unfair to importers most of who are genuine business men in their own right helping to bridging the gap in cement supplies in the building and construction industry.

He urged those who are still producing the lower grade cement to scale up their operations.

Executive Director, Stakeholder Management & Corporate Communication, Dangote Cement, Ahmed Mansur, said the product would meet the needs of its customers.

He said: “Every product we produce is to specification.The 3X brand is a market leader as we put in a lot of innovation to not only meet current demands, but also future needs.”

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki has said African countries lose between $50 billion and $60 billion yearly through illicit financial flows (IFF).

He spoke while presenting the Progress Report of the High-Level Panel on IFF at the Seventh AU-ECA Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance. According to a report monitored by New Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Mbeki was the Chairman of the panel set up by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in 2012 to look into the problems of illicit funds in the continent.

He said the huge sums did not include capital flight, adding it came from proceeds of commercial transactions through multinational corporations, criminal activities and corruption.

The former South African president lamented that the money, which would have been used to provide infrastructure and social amenities for the poor African population was transferred to other countries.

“Consequently, this left the continent in poverty,’’ he added.

Mbeki said the situation was occasioned by weak tax regime of some countries in the continent, adding that a proper mechanism should be put in place to check the trend.

“In terms of the phenomenon of mis-pricing, the estimates are between $50 and $60 billion, which the continent loses as illicit financial flows, with capital flight not included.

“In order to understand the impact of this phenomenon on Africa, we decided that we carry out a number of country case studies in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique, Algeria, Mauritius and South Africa.

“From our study, it is quite clear that the continent is losing huge volume of capital which would have been used for investment and the process of industrialisation,” he said.

Mbeki said the study was conducted to enable the panel draw up a report on the continent, as it was not possible for it to prepare a country-by-country report.

He added that the panel’s findings showed the main beneficiaries of IFFs from African countries were developed countries and emerging economies, which were Africa’s major trading partners.

According to him, illicit financial flow had posed developmental challenges on the continent, in terms of draining hard currency reserve, reduced tax collection, deepening income gap, depleting investment and weakened governance.

meanwhile, the new economic report produced by the United Nations and African Union Commission (AUC) has urged African countries to introduce credible industrial policies to enhance structural transformation in the continent.

The report was launched in Abuja by the AUC and the Economic Community of Africa (ECA) at the Seventh AU-ECA Conference of Ministers of Economy and Finance.

The report, which has “Dynamic Industrial Policy in Africa’’, as its theme said the countries should also focus on innovative institutions, effective processes and flexible mechanisms.

According to the report, transforming Africa’s industrial landscape has failed partly because countries used industrial blueprints characterised by lack of dynamism and high level co-ordination, and inadequate consultations with stakeholders.

It declared that weak institutional structures and poor policy design caused Africa’s industrial policy problem throughout its post-independence history.

“Beyond an analysis of the continent’s industrialisation problems, and based on the experience of industrialising countries, this report offers an institutional framework for designing and implementing industrial policy in Africa.

“This report recommends a top level co-ordination of the industrial policy framework to deal with potential problems which can undermine the efficiency of the industrial policy,” it added.

THE industrialisation policies of African countries must be in tandem with their integration to ensure growth in the region, the Director, Economic Affairs, African Union Commission, Dr Rene Kouassi, has said.

He spoke at a workshop to start the seventh AU- ECA Joint Annual Meeting in Abuja.

He said: “Africa in the last 10 years has witnessed economic growth which has not transformed the region because we are yet to industrialise.

“This is because many countries in Africa make industrialisation policy without considering how it will affect their neighbouring countries.

“Any industrialisation policy of any African country must align to integration process of the continent so that we can achieve positive growth.”

According to him, Nigeria’s industrialisation policy must take advantage of Economic Community West African States (ECOWAS) region to enable products from Nigeria get into markets in Mali, Ghana and other African markets.

He said inter-country trade would bring about competition among other development factors.

Kouassi said it was unfortunate that countries in Africa dumped the African Union industrialisation policy adopted in Kingshasha in 1996.

“The first AU industrialisation policy was in the 1980s and the second in 1990s, why are they not adopted?

“Africa has remained the least industrialised continent in the world. And if we continue like the way we are going, we cannot achieve inclusive growth.

“We need to be industrialised to create inclusive growth, if we are not industrialised, we can never be an emerging continent,” he said.

Mr Hopestone Chavula of Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) said effort must be made for better planning process that would bring inclusive growth in the continent.

He said the summit would focus on ways to ensure better economic growth for the continent to reduce poverty rate.

He called for transformation in the agricultural sector as well as productive and service sectors.

These sectors, he said would bring about jobs and help to impact on the lives of many citizens of various countries.

“African countries are yet to deploy finances to areas of higher productivity, Asia moved its finances from lower production sectors to higher production sectors and they transformed tremendously.

“Africa has not done that, our resources are moved to areas that are not able to move the continent,” he said.

He called for active collaboration between the government and the private sector to drive economic growth in the continent.