The Nation Newspaper

Category: Industry

  • 160 exhibitors for expo

    No fewer than 160 exhibitors and 7, 000 visitors are expected at the Nigeria 4-in-1 International Exhibition 2017, slated for Lagos, from July 13 to 15.

    The four exhibitions, which will hold simultaneously, include a Beauty, Hygiene and Cosmetic Exhibition (BHE) expo; Furniture, Home Textile and Housewares exhibition; Heating, Refrigeration, Air Conditioning, Installation System, Water Treatment and Insulation exhibition; Food, Agriculture and Technologies exhibition.

    The expo, to be organised by ElanExpo International Trade Fairs, was designed for manufacturers, policy makers, importers/exporters, architects, engineers, contractors, and construction professionals.

    At a briefing in Lagos, the General Manger of ElanExpo International Trade Fairs, Mr. Nihat Suer Ay, said  the expo would feature more than 160 exhibitors from firms from Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, West Africa and Asia.

    He said the expo would showcase cutting-edge products and technologies in areas such as heating, ventilation, refrigeration and air-condition; décor, house wares and textile, agro food, packaging and machinery; and beauty, cosmetics and hygiene.

    According to Suer Ay, the expo is as an opportunity to build contacts and share innovation. He said more than 7, 000 visitors were being expected at the event, which holds at Land Mark Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    He added that the event would include free certified Continuous Professional Development (CPD) workshop led by experts who will share their in-depth knowledge of the Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) industry.

    The event has the technical support of the Nigeria Institute for Mechanical Engineers (NIMECHE), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

    These are bodies devoted to the advancement of indoor-environment-control technology in the HVAC industry.

  • NACCIMA targets improved regional ties

    NACCIMA targets improved regional ties

    The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has unveiled an agenda to leverage its trade mission to support the Federal Government’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) drive and improve operators’capacity in the agricultural value chain.

    Its National President, Mrs. Iyalode Alaba Lawson, said the Chamber, under her leadership, would explore efforts to enhance regional trade relationships by repackaging its trade mission towards FDI.

    This, she said, would be in  partnership with members and the government in establishing companies and creating demand supply platforms for agricultural products and other mineral resources.

    Speaking at her investiture as the Chamber’s national leader, Lawson emphasised the need to increase the Chamber’s advocacy agenda, especially now that the real sector required good policies to operate efficiently.

    “While we recognise the administration’s efforts in developing the Medium, Small and Micro Enterprise (MSME) sector in Nigeria, I will like to state that our association also recognises that women and youths take the larger percentage of MSME operators, who find it difficult to access different opportunities and privileges that are available in the country,” she said.

    Lawson, however, said  NACCIMA would work with the Federal Government and development agencies to create a platform that can enhance the capacity of women and youths, while also establishing job centres through collaborations with agencies and organisations.

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun praised Lawson’s contributions to the socio-economic development of the nation, adding that her emergence as the first National President of NACCIMA was not a surprise.

    “As I congratulate our own Iyalode on this investiture, let me enjoin you and all other members of the Executive Committee to work assiduously to bring out your best and contribute your own quota to the development of our country,” he added.

    Abeokuta Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ABEOCCIMA) President, Mr. Wasiu Olaleye, praised NACCIMA’s leadership for sustaining the Chamber’s ideals in the country.

    According to him, there was the need to remind the government of its responsibilities in making the business environment conducive for operators.

    “It is, however, worthy of commendation that the Federal Government has recognised that one of the major critical factors that would bail the nation out of the present economic misfortunes is to create conducive environment for businesses to thrive in Nigeria.

    “Doing business in Nigeria requires a lot of determination and resilience. The change in the business climate is always unpredictable.

    “To succeed as a business owner, you have to brace for the agonising bottlenecks and unwholesome practices when interfacing with public officials. Besides, the situation is worsened by the intractable regime of multiple taxation,” he added.

  • BUA subsidiary to invest $300m in sugar development

    BUA subsidiary to invest $300m in sugar development

    Lafiagi Sugar Company (LASUCO), a subsidiary of BUA Group, plans to invest $300 million in its sugar plantation in line with the Federal Government’s Backward Integration Policy (BIP) in the industry.

    The investment will achieve the firm’s goal of producing 1.2 million tons of sugar per year from the plantation when fully developed. The firm has just acquired 50 state-of-the-art equipment to fascilitate the plantations development.

    BUA Sugar Managing Director, Mr. Ibrahim Yaro,  said the firm acquired LASUCO because of its interest in the local production of raw sugar.

    He spoke when the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajia Aisha Abubakar and the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) Executive Secretary, Latif Busari Sugar visited  LASUCO to ascertain the progress of work at the plantation.

    Yaro said the 500 hectares earmarked for nursery development last year had been developed.                     “What is ongoing is the land clearing and development preparation for additional 5000 hectares, which would take the company through next year.

    “We are focused, determined and vigorously marching forward to meet our set targets with NSDC. LASUCO targets the production of two million tons of sugar cane yearly and this segment alone could produce over 4,000 jobs.

    “BUA is serious and is ever-ready to surprise Nigeria and Nigerians to become a mega local sugar producer and first sugar exporter in the country,” Yaro added.

    He said BUA Group remained committed to partnering the government in ensuring the success of the BIP for the sugar industry as well as in its drive to resuscitate and develop other areas of the agricultural sector.

    The Minister lauded the investments and extensive progress made on the plantation. She praised the management of BUA for its progress towards local production of sugar in the country.

    She said: “We are, indeed, satisfied with the pace of work and commitment exhibited by BUA on its sugar plantation. We hope other sugar companies will emulate the proactive steps employed by BUA to achieving self-sufficiency in sugar production.

    “This will eventually translate to positive gains in Nigeria’s efforts in becoming a sugar producing nation.”

    Busari lauded BUA for its steadfast commitment to attaining self-sufficiency in sugar through its investments in the once moribund sugar company.

    Noting that LASUCO operates the second largest sugar refinery in Sub-Saharan Africa, he urged the company not to relent on its efforts, to but continue to sustain its strategy to moving the country towards self-sufficiency in sugar.

  • Firm offers businesses to N200b online payment options

    Nigeria’s online payment service provider PayU Nigeria has identified businesses that can benefit from its global expertise. It operates in 16 markets where it offers over 250 payment options.

    Its Country Manager, Ms Juliet Nwanguma, said the firm has rolled out strategies to connect businesses to Nigeria’s online payment market estimated to surpass N200 billion this year, from N167 billion last year.

    Speaking with The Nation in Lagos, she expressed confidence that with over 2.3 billion users world-wide, the e-commerce payment gateway could help businesses grow their market share and help them to achieve their objectives.

    “At PayU, we believe that with the deployment of appropriate strategies and products which are designed to encourage more businesses to adopt online payment, the market in Nigeria can record triple digit growth in both volume and value of online payments. This is the driving philosophy of PayU’s operations in Nigeria,” Nwanguma said.

    The Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) recently released a data, which showed that 5.5 million transactions worth N46.7 billion, were generated through online sales in the first quarter of the year.

    This is an increase in the quarterly average of 3.5 million transactions worth N33 billion last year. This 58 per cent growth is a clear indication of the increased confidence and preference for online sales among Nigerians.

    But the double digit growth, according to Nwanguma, was far below the potential of the market for online payments in Nigeria.

    She noted that in a country of over 180 million people, consisting of 61 million active bank customers and where e-payment transactions are worth N56 trillion  yearly, the potential for online payments in Nigeria is huge and waiting to be tapped.

    The PayU Nigeria Country Manager said the firm’s mission was to leverage Nigeria’s 97 million active Internet users to popularise and increase online payments in Nigeria.

    “Since last year when we entered the Nigerian market, we have used our globally tested products such as tokenisation, recurring payments for subscription services and single click payments for faster checkout.

    “Our range of services according to different business categories especially the PayU Easy service allows start-ups to start selling online instantly without the need of a bank account or trading history,” Nwanguma explained.

    She said PayU has assisted small, medium and large organisations with their online payments. In particular, the robust and flexible features of PayU Plus and PayU Enterprise, she said, have assisted merchants to grow and expand their online payment.

    PayU offers merchants safe, secure, online shopping.  Their products are   PCI DSS Level 1 compliant which means they are required to meet extremely stringent security criteria.

    All card details are secured by secure socket layer (SSL) and transfer layer security (TLS) encryption and reinforced through various encryption processes in order to provide protection for all payment information.

    They also are 3D secure enabled, which gives consumers added security when shopping online.

    The increased preference for online payments among Nigerians offers new opportunity for businesses to increase patronage and grow revenue.

    The global expertise of PayU, combined with its easy-to-use and secure online products provide the channel to leverage on this opportunity and achieve business objectives.

  • 5,000 pupils mark World Milk Day

    No fewer than 5, 000 pupils from 200 schools joined Friesland- Campina WAMCO to celebrate World Milk Day at the grand finale of the company’s “Cook-with-Peak-Milk Pecadomo Nutrition Contest” held at the Lagos Television Blue Roof arena, Ikeja.

    The United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 2001 set aside June 1 yearly as World Milk Day to reflect on all the goodness that milk represents: its natural origin, nutritional value, the numerous delicious dairy products enjoyed by so many people all over the world and the economic importance of milk for rural areas and the food chain as a whole.

    Since 2011, FrieslandCampina WAMCO has been leading Nigerians to celebrate the World Milk Day through exciting campaigns like ‘Drink Milk Everyday’ and ‘Do More with Milk’ to drive milk consumption and versatility in usage among consumers. This year, the contest promoted the health benefits of drinking milk as well as cooking healthy, nutritious meals with milk.

    Whitefield School, Mazamaza, Lagos, emerged as the school with the best recipe, winning the first prize of N500, 000. Resource teachers of the winning schools were rewarded during the celebration.

    Celebrity chef Victor Akpojovwo and Nollywood actress Toyin Aimakhu cheered the junior chefs.

    According to the Marketing Manager, Mrs. Maureen Ifada, the World Milk Day is that time of the year when the goodness of milk is celebrated all over the world.

    She noted that the event is a platform to enlighten the younger generation on the health benefits of milk, grow a new culture of cooking with milk in Nigerian homes, demonstrate and drive the brand’s proposition of stronger bodies and sharper minds.

    “School children are invaluable to Peak Milk brand. To build a strong nutritional base for the country and manage issues of malnutrition, we have to highlight the importance of proper nutrition to the younger generation, so that they can reach for their peak.

    “That explains our relentless initiatives to deepen our connection with this group, grow with them, and excite them to explore their potentials,” Ifada said.

    FrieslandCampina WAMCO employees also celebrated the day with a fitness challenge to help underscore the message that healthy eating will cure and prevent diseases.

  • Security practitioners meet

    The Association of Licensed Private Security Practitioners of Nigeria (ALPSPN) Lagos chapter has held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and seminar.

    Its Treasurer Pastor Nasiru Sule-Bamigbola in his report said the association did well in the outgoing year. He also scored the group high in other areas. His report was accepted by the House.

    During the election that followed, all the executives were returned unopposed for another four-year term. They included Chairman, Wilson Esangbedo, and Pastor Sule-Bamigbola.

    In his acceptance speech, Esangbedo promised to fly the banner of the group higher by executing some projects, including ongoing ones. Specifically, he said he would also emphasised training.  He enjoined the stakeholders in the industry to join hands to move it forward, noting that there is strength in unity.

    He said the seminar, which harped on supervisory leadership, was vital, noting that the more security supervisors were trained, the better for the industry as they are important in the value chain. ‘

    ’The supervisors make things happen, they create the environment for efficiency. If they are not well-trained, there will be a problem, for they are the ones coordinating things,’’ Esangbedo added.

    A paper presenter, Major D. A. Banjo (rtd) of the Africa School of Security Technology (ASST) urged supervisors as leaders to deploy the various management strategies to get things done.

    He suggested the provision of resources, development of competence and confidence and training of supervisors to enable them optimal performance.

  • Made-in-Nigeria goods’ll boost SMEs, create jobs

    The Federal Government’s strong push to encourage Nigerians to support locally- made goods and services will help encourage entrepreneurship at the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) segment.

    This could spur diversification of the economy, create local jobs, and reduce unemployment.

    The Regional Director for Sage in West Africa, Mr. Magnus Nmonwu, made this known on the sideline of the Africa Day celebration with the theme, “Building a better Africa and a better world.”

    Sage is the market and technology leader for integrated accounting, payroll, and payment systems, supporting the ambition of entrepreneurs and business builders.

    Nmonwu said: “Small businesses and start-ups are the engines that will power Nigeria’s growth into the future.

    “The sooner we start supporting our proudly Nigerian suppliers and service providers, the better for us. With our support, they can create wealth and jobs for the country, and many of them could grow into globally competitive exporters.”

    Nmonwu said the Federal Government should be praised for putting the spotlight on local manufacturers through initiatives such as the Made-in-Nigeria Dress Days and an Executive Order compelling state agencies to direct at least 40 per cent of procurement to Made-in-Nigeria goods and services.

    He stressed that local service providers and manufacturers could play an important role in the revival of Nigeria’s economy.

    “We welcome the effort to encourage industrialisation and diversify the economy from commodities into new areas. Strong local demand is the foundation of a manufacturing sector that can grow into an export industry,” Nmonwu said.

    According to him, government was putting its money where its mouth is with its Executive Order and giving the public a good example to follow.

    The Sage Regional Director, however, said there was scope for the public sector to do more to encourage the growth of SMEs.

    Such encouragement, he said, includes tax incentives for local producers, support in accessing finance, and facilitating mentoring and skills development programmes between small business and bigger companies.

    “The government should encourage small businesses to adopt business software so that they can improve regulatory compliance and financial controls. This could also help in tracking the performance of those that benefit from state loans and incentives, and hold them accountable,” Nmonwu said.

     

     

  • Fed Govt to strengthen backward integration

    The Federal Government will increase investment in sugar development to guarantee self-sufficiency and create jobs, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah has said.

    He spoke in Abuja at the mid-term review meeting of the sugar master plan.

    The minister said the backward integration policy, which began four years ago, must be consolidated to achieve the results.

    He said the sugar sector was faced with more challenges than the cement industry, promising a turnaround in five years.

    Enelamah charged stakeholders in the sector to come up with workable  solutions to the sector’s challenges.

    His words: ‘Sugar has been challenging and we must overcome those challenges. This is part of the reasons the acting President inaugurated the industrial council that would bring together leaders and players in both private and public sectors in order to boost industrialisation. We are resolute to partner the private sector to address these challenges. We are not only interested in discussing solutions but we are bent on implementation.

    He said the desire of the government to industrialise Nigeria had not diminished, despite that the ambition was very capital intensive.

    He said the only way to go was public-private partnership, adding that the government would provide the enabling environment for stakeholders to operate.

    The Executive Secretary of the Sugar Council, Dr. Abdullatif Busari, highlighted the pains and gains of the sugar master plan policy since its take-off as well as insight into the preferred destination of the plan.

    Busari said it was expected that Nigeria would attain a zero percent importation of sugar by the time the policy reached its maturity of 10 years, adding that Nigeria would attain a 70 percent self-sufficiency and even export to other African nations.

    He insisted that the desire of the government to  industrialise the country has not diminished, despite that the ambition is capital intensive.

    According to him, the only way to go is public-private partnership, adding that the government would provide the enabling environment for stakeholders to operate.

  • Pharmaceuticals seek policy coherence

    •Firms invest N20 billion in factory upgrade 

    Pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria have canvassed policy consistency to help them remain in business.

    The firms, under the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN), lamented that over 120 of them were being threatened by policy flip-flops.

    At the PMG-MAN/Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PHN) Forum in Abuja, PMG-MAN Chairman Mr. Okey Akpa said drug makers were not carried along when major policies affecting them were made.

    He said, for instance, the Common External Tariff (CET) threatened to wipe out the industry between June 2015 and last November, until the Federal Government intervened.

    “The CET threatened to wipe us out until the last year’s fiscal policy changed the dynamics. The CET provides for five to 20 per cent tariff for importation of pharmaceutical raw materials, but allows finished medicines to enter into any country in the sub-region at no duty.

    “But we are grateful that the Federal Government intervened with the 2016 Fiscal Policy, which imposed tariffs on four categories of imported drugs,” Akpa said.

    He stressed the need for an import strategy that will hand over importation to those who are already manufacturing medicines. This, he said, means that they have plans to start producing the drugs.

    “When you hand importation to those who are not manufacturing and have no plan to do so, you are discouraging local manufacturing,” Akpa said.

    PHN Managing Director/CEO, Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq, said there was the need to create an enabling environment for local manufacturers to thrive through effective supply chain management.

    “At the heart of this vision is the Africa Resource Centre, which is targeted at mobilising the private sector and the academia to complement other actors currently supporting the public health supply chain, to accelerate and sustain improvement in key supply chain outcomes,” he said.

    Umar-Sadiq stressed the need for collaboration by all stakeholders in the value chain to ensure efficiency in drug distribution and enable the country achieve self-sufficiency in drug production.

    Fidson Healthcare Plc Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Fidelis Ayebae, said N20 billion had been spent by pharmaceutical firms in the last five years in factory, quality and facility upgrades, describing this as “a monumental achievement”.

    Dangote Industries Limited President, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, said that logistics remained the biggest challenge facing manufacturers after energy problem, stressing the need for synergy to save costs.

    “How do we partner with the government in such a way that it brings returns on investment?” Dangote asked, noting that “as pharmaceuticals, we should not all bid for the same contract, but create efficiency in warehousing.”

    National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Executive Secretary, Usman Yusuf, called for partnership between drug makers and the agency to widen health insurance coverage.

    He said the only way to ensure efficiency in drug distribution was to see a good healthcare system as a human right and a tool for poverty alleviation.

    “Our health insurance coverage is still very low. We need partnership with all the stakeholders to ensure the insurance scheme is implemented at all levels,” he said.

  • NACCIMA targets improved regional ties

    NACCIMA targets improved regional ties

    The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has unveiled an agenda to leverage its trade mission to support the Federal Government’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) drive as well as improve operators’ capacity in the agricultural value-chain.

    NACCIMA National President Mrs. Iyalode Alaba Lawson who made this known said the Chamber, under her leadership, would explore efforts to enhance regional trade relationships by repackaging its trade mission towards FDI.

    She said this would be in the form of partnership with members and the government in establishing companies and creating demand supply platforms for agricultural products and other mineral resources.

    Speaking at her investiture as the Chamber’s national leader, Lawson emphasised the need to increase the Chamber’s advocacy agenda in the country, especially now that the real sector required good policies to operate efficiently.

    “While we recognise the administration’s efforts in developing the Medium, Small and Micro Enterprise (MSME) sector in Nigeria, I will like to state that our association also recognises that women and youths take the larger percentage of MSME operators, who find it difficult to access different opportunities and privileges that are available in the country,” she said.

    Lawson, however, said  NACCIMA will work with the Federal Government and development agencies to create a platform that can enhance the capacity of women and youths, while also establishing job centres through collaborations with agencies and organisations.

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun praised Lawson’s contributions to the socio-economic development of the nation, adding that her emergence as the first National President of NACCIMA was not a surprise.

    “As I congratulate our own Iyalode on this investiture, let me enjoin you and all other members of the Executive Committee to work assiduously to bring out your best and contribute your own quota to the development of our country,” he added.

    Abeokuta Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ABEOCCIMA) President, Mr. Wasiu Olaleye, praised NACCIMA’s leadership for sustaining the Chamber’s ideals in the country.

    According to him, there was the need to remind the government of its responsibilities in making the business environment conducive for operators.

    “It is, however, worthy of commendation that the Federal Government has recognised that one of the major critical factors that would bail the nation out of the present economic misfortunes is to create conducive environment for businesses to thrive in Nigeria.

    “Doing business in Nigeria requires a lot of determination and resilience. The change in the business climate is always unpredictable.

    “To succeed as a business owner, you have to brace for the agonising bottlenecks and unwholesome practices when interfacing with public officials. Besides, the situation is worsened by the intractable regime of multiple taxation,” he added.