The Nation Newspaper

Category: Industry

  • Chamber organises business improvement training

    The Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) in collaboration with the Bervidson Group has concluded its one-day Business Process Improvement (BPI) training for stakeholders drawn from various industries and businesses.

    Speaking with The Nation after the training, which held in Lagos, during the week, Bervidson Group President Joseph Ebata said no BPI initiative would last without being sustained by an improvement culture driven by training.

    Ebata, who said organisations were struggling to survive in the face of many challenges, noted that they must constantly innovate to become more competitive and also meet customers’ changing expectations.

    According to him, about 85 per cent of reasons for not meeting customers’ expectations are related to deficiencies in systems and processes rather than employees.

    Ebata, therefore, argued that for organisations to succeed, they must constantly seek to improve their business processes to be more responsive to the changing expectation of today’s customers.

    The workshop, he noted, focused on how organisations could improve their processes, product/service quality, and reduce costs significantly in order to increase effectiveness and efficiency without compromising customer satisfaction.

    According to him, the workshop employed the eight-step problem solving processes using the ‘Plan-Do-Check-Act’ and ‘Cause & Effect’ BPI models to show how discerning organisations seeking to innovate their processes for greater effectiveness, efficiency and competitiveness, could successfully move from their current state to the desired state.

    The Director-General, Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce, Joyce Akpata, said organisations are seeking to innovate and optimise their current processes to increase competitiveness, productivity, employee engagement, customer satisfaction and reduced costs.

    The DG said it was therefore, important for the Chamber to organise a workshop that addresses the concerns and needs of organisations while at the same time pointing them towards successfully undertaking result-oriented business process improvement projects.

     

  • Mansur is MAN president

    The new President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr. Ahmed Mansur, has pledged to boost the competitiveness of the sector through greater collaboration with the Federal Government.

    Mansur, who is an engineer and an executive director of Dangote Industries Limited, took over from Dr. Frank Udemba Jacobs.

    Speaking at the association’s 46th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos, the new president applauded the Executive Order 003, which aims to increase the level of patronage of made-in-Nigeria goods by public procurement agencies.

    He stated that the Order 003 showed that the present administration was serious in building local productive capacity, adding, “We will work with the Federal Government to ensure that the Nigerian manufacturing sector is competitive”.

    Mansur reiterated his commitment to strengthen the association’s level of collaboration and interaction with the Federal Government to ensure that the Executive Order 003 is fully implemented to boost local patronage of made-in-Nigeria products.

    He said MAN would continue to engage all the Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to showcase made-in-Nigeria goods. “When this contact is made, we would encourage members to compete both in terms of price and quality.

    “I believe if we continue to work with the government in this manner, we would bridge the gap between us and the public sector requirements,” he said.

    Mansur, however, appealed to the Federal Government to provide the necessary basic infrastructure to bring down the cost of production for manufacturers in the country, noting that the impact would be massive on the real sector of the economy.

    He said the association has kick-started the partnership by presenting a compendium of all members to showcase to the Federal Government all the locally produced goods in the country.

    “They have to know who and where to contact to get quality made-in-Nigeria goods.  So, this is the first step we have carried. Our interactions with the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) are also steps in the right direction so that we understand the requirements and their expectations,” Mansur said.

    Commending his predecessor, Mansur said: “Let us thank the outgoing council under Dr. Jacobs’ leadership for the meritorious service they offered during the past four years. Despite the many challenges in both the economic and socio-political spheres confronting our country, Dr. Jacobs and his team steered the ship of MAN most creditably.”

    He said, for instance, that under Dr. Jacob’s leadership, the MAN Secretariat staff welfare has been significantly improved, with its internal and external communications, IT system, website and media relations enhanced.

    Giving an insight into the new council’s direction, Mansur said they would build on the successes recorded by the retiring council, especially in collaborating with government to improve the operating environment.

    MAN, he added, would focus on building the strategic linkages between Small and Medium Industries SMIs), and the larger manufacturers, to enhance the capacity of the sector to generate employment and create wealth.

    The new helmsman declared that the council was committed to ensuring that MAN continues to be recognised as the voice of the manufacturing sector, working with other key stakeholders to promote economic transformation.

    He said the council hopes to see the manufacturing sector become the leading contributor to economic growth, employment generation and wealth creation for inclusive economic development and prosperity.

  • BHM Releases Third Edition of Nigeria PR Report

    Global communications and public relations organisation, BHM has unveiled important findings on the Nigerian PR industry in its newly released 2018 PR Report.

    Now in its third year, the Report, which contains insights across key areas in the Nigeria PR industry, is compiled by BHM’s research arm – BHM Research & Intelligence (BRI) in collaboration with Brentt Consulting, a leading market research organisation, and Africa’s first Content Trading Marketplace, Plaqad Incorporated.

    The Nigeria PR Report includes comprehensive data analysis on subject matters such as size of agency, years of operation, annual PR revenue, annual PR spend, agency client portfolio, top sectors serviced, skills for entry into the industry, state of the Nigeria PR industry and  perspectives of the industry according to various industry professionals. It also features the code of ethics of the Nigerian Public relations industry.

    This edition of the report reveals useful information, while offering a strategic approach to put Nigeria on the global PR map by encouraging the documentation of reliable data and insights about the industry.

    According to Lola Talabi Oni, Managing Director, Brentt Consulting, “There is the need to document the growth and development of the Nigerian PR industry using data and insights from practitioners. We’ve noted  that there is a gap in the marketplace that only the provision of data like those compiled in the Nigeria PR report can bridge.”

    Speaking on the release of 2018 Nigeria PR Report, Founder and CEO of BHM, Ayeni Adekunle noted that, “Nigeria PR Report brings something we desperately need to save our businesses: Data. We need to know what’s happened, what’s happening, how it happened, why it happened. This information will enable us make informed decisions around our individual businesses and the industry in general.”

    Nigeri PR Report is the country’s first-ever annual report on Public Relations, dedicated to gathering, chronicling and analyzing data on trends, perceptions, challenges and prospects within the industry.

  • Firm Releases Consumers Digital Banking Satisfaction Index Report

    Nigerians preferences and attitude towards digital banking platforms and offerings provided by banks in Nigeria have been captured in a report titled; 2018 Consumer Digital Banking Satisfaction Index report.

    This Index report was released following an extensive online and offline consumer survey carried out by Agusto and Co. Limited across Nigeria.

    The output of the Index is based on information provided by respondents on the top ten banks in Nigeria by total assets as at 31 December 2017.

    In the report, four banks were assigned a ‘5 Star’ rating for Consumer Digital Banking Satisfaction of which Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc scored the highest, emerging the ‘Best Digital Bank in Nigeria’.

    The ‘5 Star’ rating assigned to StanbicIBTC Bank reflects ease of use, perceived security and very good troubleshooting & IT resolution on its different digital platforms.

    The Index revealed that StanbicIBTC Bank has the most ease in navigating through primary platforms used such as mobile app, USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) or web; customers felt the most secure using their preferred primary platforms, and the bank was quick to resolve conflicts encountered by customers on the various digital banking channels.

    Customers of the bank further disclosed that there were only very few instances of unsuccessful transactions, and the overall functionality of StanbicIBTC’s digital platforms is seamless.

    However, findings from this Index indicated ample room for improvement on digital banking services in Nigeria as majority of respondents desire better user interface, enhanced security features, increased services particularly on mobile banking platform, speedy notifications on account activities, less cumbersome enrollment procedures, reduction in charges for frequently used services such as airtime top-up as well as general improvement in speed on services.

    According to Agusto & Co, the objective of this Index is to create an independent appraisal of the ease of using digital banking platforms by the Nigerian populace considering that banks have invested significantly in digitalization. The Index will give banks in Nigeria insights and suggestions on ways to enhance customer experiences on digital banking platforms.

    Commenting on the Digital Banking Satisfaction Index report, Yinka Adelekan, Executive Director, Agusto & Co. Limited said “One of the major reasons we launched this Index was to get first hand insights on awareness, ease, issue resolution and perceived security from users of digital banking platforms in Nigeria.

    It is essential that banks increase awareness of the different products and services available on their digital platforms. In addition, customers who use these platforms must be supported by minimal system downtimes, user friendly navigation processes and improved turnaround time for IT resolution.

    We understand the need for convenience, speed and for customers to feel secure when they perform transactions. As a research and credit rating agency, we seek to provide banks with credible information on how best services can be improved for customers, which we believe can be achieved with findings from this Index”.

    For over two decades, Agusto & Co. has provided investors with invaluable information and sound financial analysis, promoting transparency and best practices. Its clientele base spans major international corporations as well as key domestic operators.

  • Unstable power hurting our businesses, say artisans

    The epileptic electricity supply across the country is taking a toll on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), especially artisans.

    In interviews with The Nation, some artisans said they were literarily squeezing water from stone because of the damage to their businesses by irregular electricity supply.

    Located in their clusters in Itire, Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, artisans, including tailors, barbers, hair dressers, repairers, carpenters, technicians and iron benders, said the government should come to their aid by putting the power utility firms on their toes.

    One of the aggrieved artisans, who identified herself simply as Mrs Damisola, a fashion designer, said electricity supply to Ibidunni Street, Itire, where her shop is, has been irregular, adding that the situation was affecting her business adversely.

    Mrs Damisola, who spoke with The Nation in the presence of amid her equally-pained apprentices, said the devastating impacts of poor electricity supply in the area were more telling on fashion designing business because “we need light to do many things, from ironing to sewing, gumming, and others.”

    She lamented that though she uses charcoal iron when there is no light because “my generator is small and cannot carry my electric iron.” Her decision to turn to the use of her small generator did not come cheap either.

    “I spend between N500 and N1,000 every day to fuel the generator and this eats into the little profit I make,” Mrs Damisola complained.

    Asked how much she makes from the business daily and how much goes into fuelling and maintaining her generator, Mrs Damisola said it’s difficult to say considering that customer patronage fluctuates, even as cases of payment delay or outright default abound.

    “You know, sometimes, customers will come, but one week after you won’t get paid. At other times, you won’t see work to do for weeks,” she said, calling on the Federal Government to intervene by demanding efficient, improved services delivery from service providers.

    Another artisan, who identified herself as Iya Seun, a hair dresser, said: “My sister! This light matter has been a pain in the neck. The impact of the persistent poor electricity supply on my business is minimal because as a hair dresser, I only fix people’s hair with attachment.”

    Seun whose shop is located on Ola Street, Itire, however, asked, “What about others like beauticians that need electricity for everything?” She, therefore, said government should come to the rescue of artisans who are struggling to make ends meet in the absence of white collar jobs.

    Similarly, Mr. Kazim who runs a barbing saloon within the area said electricity supply has not been regular. “If the power utility firm bring the light, it lasts for only two to three hours, forcing many of us to rely on generators,” he said.

    Kazim added that because of the situation, which kept customers away because of the little price increase, he has not been able to raise enough money from his business to fix his generator that has since been bad.

    As Kazim lamented, “My generator is not good at all. It has been making funny noise; I have not made enough income; that’s why I haven’t repaired it.”

    He, however, said he spends N2, 000 daily to fuel the generator while hoping to raise money soon to fix the machine. “This is the only business I have, and it is from here I pay all my bills, no savings. The government should please make the light,” he told The Nation.

    As epileptic as electricity supply is in the area, Mr. George, a barber, said his worry stemmed from the timing of the supply. “The time the service provider supplies the light is usually very wrong for me. It doesn’t enhance my business they bring it early in the morning when I don’t have customers. And by the time I come to the shop, they would have switched it off,” he said.

    When The Nation met him in his saloon at Amodu Street, last week, George said as a stop gap measure, he bought a generator. He, however, lamented that the cost of fuelling and maintaining the generator was threatening to force him to close shop. “It costs me about ¦ 35, 000 per month to fuel and maintain the generator,” he said.

    He also said he does not make much money from the business to sustain such huge and available expenditure “I have several bills to pay. I pay my kids’ school fees from this business, and by the time I am done I don’t have any leftover as profit,” George fumed.

    He put the blame of the poor power supply on the Federal Government’s doorstep. According to him, government has not been doing enough monitoring and supervision of the power utility firms post-privatisation to ensure that they deliver.

    George added that as far as he was concerned, Nigerians were  paying for darkness, as consumers are forced to pay outrageous and estimated bills for electricity not supplied.

  • Chamber seeks increased SMEs’ contribution to economy

    The Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) has called on stakeholders, including the government and operators in various sectors, to show more commitment to positioning the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to contribute to economic growth as well as create jobs.

    Its President, Mr. Oluwatoyin Akomolafe, made the call at the Breakfast Meeting of the Chamber held in Lagos, during the week. He said it was important to harness the huge, but largely untapped potential in SMEs to boost the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    Akomolafe stated that the creation, growth and development of SMEs are essential to economies of many countries, including the developed nations, such as the United States of America (US) and China, and developing ones like India.

    He pointed out, for instance, that in such countries, SMEs constituted over 90 per cent of the entire businesses and employs about 65 per cent of the workforce globally. He said in the US, for instance, SMEs contribute over 50 per cent to the GDP as well as generate about 75 per cent of new jobs.

    He, however, noted that SMEs’ ability to do these has been undermined by a number of challenges including inadequate infrastructure and lack of an enabling environment. According to him, these have delayed most SMEs’ transformation to large-scale business enterprises.

    Akomolafe listed other limiting factors to include poor planning and management, lack of proper structure, and low capacity building, among others.

    He, however, added that the Chamber has been working with SMEs to build their capacity via various human capital development initiatives, provision of linkages to possible funders and access to market.

    Akomolafe, who identified non-availability of funds as perhaps, the most worrisome, noted, however, that most SMEs operate in a manner that inhibits them from accessing funds from most financial intuitions that see them as high risk.

    The NACC chief said the topic of the Breakfast Meeting, “Setting New Standards in Sustainable SME Sector Development in Nigeria” was carefully chosen in order to take a critical look into the SMEs sector, its impact on economic development and other key areas that create a sustainable environment for businesses to thrive.

    The Director-General, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Dikko Umaru Rada, said the challenges confronting the sub-sector included weak capacity to adhere to both local and international standards, poor access to affordable finance, and lack of work space, poor access to local, regional and global markets.

    Others, he said, are weak enabling environment, weak infrastructure, poor management of business operations, administrative barriers and obsolete technology. He argued that in order to ensure a unified development of the SME sub-sector in the country, all these challenges must be addressed.

    While noting that SMEs represented one of the most important sectors of the nation’s economy, he said the sub-sector provides the platform for increasing the global competiveness of the country and is a also a key driver towards achieving the objectives of the national economic vision.

    Rada added that the quickest and most effective way to impact the average Nigerian and for Nigeria to achieve the desired economic breakthrough is to devote time, attention and resources to grow the SME sub-sector.

  • Stakeholders canvass increased focus on cashew production

    Farmers and other stakeholders in the agric sector have called for more attention to the production, processing and marketing of cashew in view of its huge nutritional and economic value.

    The stakeholders in separate interviews lamented the utter neglect of the product, and regretted that the few farmers engaged in it had neither been supported nor encouraged to adequately reap its vast economic potential.

    For instance, the Chairman, Kogi State Chapter of Cashew Producers Association of Nigeria (CPAN), Mr. Stephen Ahiaba, lamented that about 500,000 tons of cashew apples and fruits worth N50 billion rot yearly in Kogi State.

    While blaming the development on the lack of requisite technology to process juice from cashew fruits, he stressed that the situation was discouraging many farmers. He, however, expressed happiness that a local agro-products processing outfit had delved into processing cashew nuts.

    Ahiaba said CPAN was into the cashew business to improve cashew value chain, adding that residues from processed cashew apples could be converted into animal feeds.

    Investigations show that the crop is cultivated mostly in the eastern, western and central areas of Kogi in local governments like Dekina, Ofu, Idah, Igalamela, Omala and Yagba East.

    Other local governments include Yagba West, Mopamuro, Ijumu, Kabba/Bunu, Adavi, Okehi, Okene.

    A consultant with Synergos Nigeria, Mr. Solomon Yizogembi, said Kogi was can generate over 10, 000 job opportunities from investments in cashew production and processing.

    He said a 150,000-tonnes investment window for cashew products was available in Kogi.

  • ‘Global manufacturing to remain stable despite deceleration’

    Global industrial growth is expected to remain stable this year, despite continuing uncertainties related to trans-Atlantic trade, the Brexit, and economic sanctions, which have weakened the dynamism of global industrial growth seen in 2016 and 2017.

    A United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) report released this week said world manufacturing value added (MVA) is likely to sustain a 3.9 per cent growth rate in 2018.

    The report said manufacturing output of industrialised economies is expected to rise by 2.7 per cent this year, while much higher growth, at 4.4 per cent, is estimated for developing and emerging industrial economies.

    The UNDP report, which was accessed by The Nation, however, said China’s MVA growth rate is expected to fall to 6.1 per cent this year, compared to 6.5 per cent in 2017.

    The report said world MVA rose by 3.8 per cent in the second quarter, lower than the 4.2 per cent growth in the first quarter of 2018, but still indicative of a healthy state of global manufacturing.

    It, however, observed that growth rates are still positive, but deceleration is visible in all country groups, indicating the impact of global trade uncertainties on manufacturing production.

    The manufacturing output of industrialised economies rose by 2.5 per cent in the second quarter, a slower pace than the 2.9 per cent in the first quarter of the year.

    Relatively lower growth rates were observed in major industrialised economies, such as 1.8 per cent in the United States, 1.4 per cent in the United Kingdom, 2.9 per cent in Germany and 2.1 per cent in Japan.

    Manufacturing growth rates also dropped in Belarus, Finland and the Russian Federation.

    The report added that deceleration is also becoming obvious in developing and emerging industrial economies. It said, for instance, that in the second quarter of 2018, the manufacturing output of these countries grew 3.7 per cent, compared to 4.8 per cent in the first quarter.

    “The manufacturing growth rate dropped from 4.7 per cent to 0.8 per cent in Brazil, from 7.1 per cent to 5.3 per cent in India, from 5.4 per cent to 4.6 in Indonesia, and from 9.8 per cent to 5.1 in Turkey. Negative growth was observed in Argentina, Kazakhstan and Peru,” the report said.

    Continuing, the UNDP report said among African countries, manufacturing output rose in Senegal by 3.8 per cent in the second quarter after a poor performance earlier in the year. It also rose in Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt and Morocco.

    However, the growth performance of two large economies in Africa – Nigeria and the Republic of South Africa – according to the report is poor. “Manufacturing output in Nigeria has negative growth while South Africa rose by merely 0.3 per cent,” it said.

    The report also presents growth figures by manufacturing industry. The highest growth in the second quarter – at 8.2 per cent – was reported for pharmaceutical products. The production of computer, electronic and optical products rose by 8.2 per cent.

    Positive growth worldwide was observed in the production of essential consumer goods, such as food, beverages and wearing apparel. At the same time, the production of tobacco products fell in industrialised and other developing economies, although it rose significantly – at the rate of 5.9 per cent – in China.

  • Corporate affairs adviser appointed goodwill ambassador

    The Corporate Affairs Adviser of the Nigerian Breweries Plc (NB), Kufre Ekanem, is the Goodwill Ambassador of the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Akure. Also appointed along with him is Human Resource icon Abiola Popoola.

    The conferment and plaque presentation were held in Akure as part of the activities of the institution’s first ever Distinguished Lecture, which was delivered by Ekanem.

    The distinguished lecture, organised by the International Strategy Office of the university, was themed “Global perspectives on collaborations and partnerships between universities and industry.”

    A statement made available to The Nation said Ekanem, a marketing and public relations practitioner, was also the Chairman of Rosemary’s Group of Companies. According to the statement, he sits on the advisory boards of several Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)  in the country.

    He is a Fellow of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), a senior member of the International PR Association, and a member of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM). He is also a corporate culture advocate who was voted the best image maker in the private sector for 2017.

    Popoola, who was the Chairman of the First Distinguished Lecture, is a seasoned professional coach, Managing Partner of Context Consult and Chairman of Net Construct. He has had far-reaching experience in organisational development and change management, working locally and globally.

  • Firm donates products to IDP camp

    The Global CEO, Royal FrieslandCampina, The Netherlands, Mr. Hein Schumacher, has donated dairy products and education materials to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at the Durumi IDP Camp, Abuja.

    Schumacher made the donation as part of the four months nutrition outreach of FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria to the IDP camp.

    He was accompanied by President, Consumer Dairy, Royal FrieslandCampina, The Netherlands, Roel van Neerbos; Managing Director, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria, Ben Langat; and Corporate Affairs Director, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria, Ore Famurewa.

    Schumacher made the donation through the Nigerian Red Cross Society, which will be fully accountable for the distribution of the products and also deliver the project with care.

    Speaking at the occasion, Schumacher said FrieslandCampina was committed to its purpose, ‘Nourishing by Nature,’ which focuses on improving the overall health and nutrition status of populations where it operates.

    “As a company, we want to provide better nutrition for the world, we understand that a significant portion of the world’s population is faced with undernourishment; milk is filled with a lot of essential nutrients and can make a positive contribution towards solving this challenge,” Schumacher said.

    Famurewa explained that the donation was aimed at improving the nutritional status of over 400 vulnerable children living in the camp and aged four to 15 years. Each child in this age bracket is to receive a daily serving of highly fortified and nutritious Peak milk from September 7 till the end of the year.

    “Through the years, our company has built a strong legacy on giving back to the society and this culture is preserved in our sustainability strategy and policy. With this symbolic donation, we are supporting government’s effort in solving issues of malnutrition and ensuring reduction of prevalent non-communicable diseases, by providing quality dairy nutrition,” Famurewa said.

    The Executive Secretary of Nigeria Red Cross Society, Abuja Branch, Mr. Simeon Nwaubani, in his remarks, thanked the company for the support given to the displaced persons, while highlighting the charitable roles organisations can play in helping needy communities.