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  • CIPSMN amendment bill conflicts with BPP mandate, says Bureau

    CIPSMN amendment bill conflicts with BPP mandate, says Bureau

    The Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) said on Monday, July 15, that should discourage the dark age and promote the new world where people are poised for choices that provide superior services and products with the highest level of ethical standards and customer service delivery.

    The Bureau asked the House not to pass the bill seeking to amend the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria as the amendment being sought will largely bring the institute in conflict with the mandate of the Bureau.

    Speaking at a public hearing on the bill, director of civil infrastructure, Nasir Bello, who represented the Director General of the Bureau said allowing the amendment being sought by the bill will bring the institute into conflict with the mandate of the Bureau.

    Bello said having reviewed the Bill, the Bureau, is of the view that allowing the amendment to section 1(c) which seeks to “(c) provide training, education and examination of persons desiring to become professional procures as well as procurement auditors according to the provisions of the Act whether in Nigeria or abroad” will bring it in conflict with section 5(k) of the Public Procurement Act.

    In addition, he said amending section 12 as contained in the amendment bill will also bring it in conflict with global standards and the provision of the Procurement Act, adding that the institute should rather focus on its primary role in relation to purchasing.

    Procurement, store, materials, warehouse, logistics management or procurement chain management in Nigeria and other parts of the world.

    “It should not be allowed to delve into function functions of the Bureau in relation to procurement and public procurement in particular. In carrying out its mandate as stipulated in Section 5 (k) of the PPA, the Bureau has several higher institutions of learning handling courses on Procurement. The institute may change its name but the scope of its mandate should remain, as it is contained in its extant law”.

    He said further that “Notwithstanding the foregoing, should the House be inclined towards allowing the proposed amendment (without the Bureau necessarily conceding).

    The Bureau wishes to draw attention to the provision of Section 5(s) of the PPA which vests in the Bureau as the Regulator of Public Procurement in Nigeria, the mandate to co-ordinate relevant training programs to build institutional capacity.

    He said the provision of the intended training by the Institute, especially in the area of Public Procurement, must be coordinated by the Bureau, as the regulatory Agency for Public Procurement in Nigeria.

     He said the PPA, 2007 allow the National Council on Public Procurement and the Bureau of Public Procurement as the Regulatory Authorities responsible for the monitoring and oversight of Public Procurement, harmonizing the existing Government policies and practices by regulating, setting standards and developing the Legal framework and professional capacity for Public Procurement in Nigeria; and other related matters.

    He said the Act is to remove all impediments that had hitherto prevented effective and efficient management of public procurement in Nigeria including the private sector, adding that some of the major impediments included lack of competition and transparency, non-publication of contract opportunities, non-prior disclosure of rules to be used in the selection process, lack of standard bidding documents and setting practice guidelines for procurement practitioners, allow free entry and exist and align with global best practices in line with the Uncitral model law through multi-stakeholder engagement.

    He said further that the world has moved onto specialization and sector-based professionalization of public procurement. We now have within the same country or across different continents provisions for specialized services and their co-existence.

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen said the public hearing reinforces the dedication of the House to open, participatory and consultative parliament as enumerated significantly in the Legislative Agenda and demonstrated in the recent open NASS Week we organized to interface with the masses of our country.

    Represented by the House Leader, Hon. Julius Ihonvbare, the Speaker said public hearing is a key legislative process put in place by the parliament to provide relevant stakeholders and other members of the public a robust window to be part of the parliamentary practice. In so doing, your views, feelings and aspirations are captured in the legislative framework to guarantee better legal outputs.

    He said effective procurement and supply processes play a vital role in economic growth and development and essentially provoke efficient public service delivery, hence the need to reform the Chartered Institute of Purchase and Supply Management to modernize the profession in line with global standard practice to stimulate enhanced proficiency on the part of the practitioners and to foster greater positive results in public and private governance. 

    Read Also: CRC Bureau firm raises credit access to 14 per cent

    Chairman of the House Committee on Public Procurement, Hon. Unyime Idem said the bill is a priority bill because of the important role it has played in shaping professionals in the field of purchasing and supply chain management in Nigeria and the development of high-standard professional skill, ability and integrity among all those engaged in procurement practice.

    He said the House committee was committed to Public Procurement to upholding the legal and institutional framework for the enthronement of transparency, accountability, value for money and efficiency in the procurement of works, goods and services within Ministries, Departments, Agencies, and Parastatals as stipulated in the Public Procurement Act, 2007.

    He said strict adherence and due process compliance with the PPA, 2007 is mandatory for all MDAs, to avoid legal repercussions and ensure the efficient and ethical utilization of public resources.

  • CRC Bureau firm raises credit access to 14 per cent

    CRC Bureau firm raises credit access to 14 per cent

    Credit penetration in  Nigeria has risen to 14 per  cent with the growth, driven largely by the activities of CRC Credit Bureau Limited. The company said however that this was still a far cry from the expected level globally.

    Its Group Managing Director/CEO, Dr. Tunde Popoola, who spoke during the company’s CRC Finance and Credit Conference 2024, in Lagos noted that the country has achieved a significant improvement in credit penetration in the last 15 years of its existence.

    The theme of the event which also marked the company’s 15 years anniversary was entitled: “ Sustainable Financing Options: Innovations in Credit Risk Management.”

    Dr. Popoola said that only 33 million Nigerians have their credit scores on the database of CRC Credit Bureau Limited, adding that much effort was needed to  bring onboard more Nigerians to access credit.

    Popoola said: “33 million Nigerians have credit scores;   29.4 million searches were conducted in 2023 and more than 10 million searches have been conducted in Q1, 2024,” adding that  “ CRC has moved from one product in 2010 to 18, cutting across all value chains of lending.”

    Popoola also said that the company and the various regulators in the country, especially the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), despite the daunting challenges to ease access to credit, are making some reasonable progress.

    He said: “Today so many millions of Nigerians get loans on their phones and lenders rely on CRC to lend.  The Credit Reporting Act signed in 2017 by the Buhari regime to back credit reporting and the backing of the CBN have boosted credit penetration over the years.”

    Reminiscencing on the journey for the organisation so far, he said: “15 years ago, this company received a licence from the CBN to operate.   Specifically, in January 2010, CRC was launched.  Our business is to ease access to credit in Nigeria.  Credit report was the initial product launched, but many more products have come on board since then, however, a few organisations / banks are using them.”

    Speaking earlier, Chairman, CRC Board of Directors, Joel Owoade, lamented that the prevailing   economic fluctuations in the country have affected the profitability of companies in Nigeria, with so many of them reporting unprecedented loses up till Q1, 2024.

    Read Also: Fed Govt reaffirms commitment to implement biological weapons convention

    Proffering solution, he said: “Sustainable financing is one of the ways out for the the economy. Risk management is therefore a way of mitigating against bad loans for banks.”

    Managing Partner, Verraki, Olaniyi  Yusuf, who spoke on “ Artificial Intelligence Paradox: From Solution to Risk “ said global inequality should be the major worry in the A.I driven 4th industrial revolution, noting that the worry should not be too much about job displacements.

    His words: “Rather than have net job loss, more jobs are expected to be generated in the A.I driven industrial revolution. Nigeria needs the regulatory framework to benefit from AI.  Regulations are important but must not stifle it. It should not become another IGR source. Right infrastructures must be provided. There will be failures but that should motivate AI start-ups  to navigate and get better.”

    Ag. Director, Banking Supervision Department, CBN, Dr. Adetona Adedeji, in a presentation said: “At 14per cent Credit penetration our economy still has a long way to go.  It’s not about granting Credit, it must be sustainable, it must be revolving to sustain the economy.”

    Speaking on the efforts of the CBN to promote sustainable credit in Nigeria, Adedeji who was represented by Asst Director, Banking Supervision Dept, CBN, Olubunmi Ayodele, said: “Other Financial Institutions have been mandated to provide credit reports like the banks.”

    He added that the establishment of the National Collateral Registry, Global Standing Instruction and approval of Credit Bureaus are measures taken by the CBN to enhance sustainable credit in Nigeria.

    “A good credit score can help you borrow at lower interest rate.  There is a global picture of the borrower by the lender before the transaction is done,” he said.

  • Investigative bureau, varsity partner on aviation safety

    Investigative bureau, varsity partner on aviation safety

    Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with African Aviation and Aerospace University (AAAU) on  training to prevent and mitigate accidents and incidents.

    Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mrs Bimbo Oladeji, said the bureau would work with AAAU, as the first Pan-African university dedicated to aviation, aerospace, and environmental science.

     Addressing two critical needs in the industry, she said AAAU tackles research and development in Africa’s aviation and aerospace while cultivating a skilled workforce.

    Speaking at NSIB Training School, Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, Alex Badeh Jr., said the MoU sets the stage for facility sharing, capacity building, and collaboration.

    NSIB, he said,  granted AAAU access to its facilities, for efficient exchange of resources and expertise as well as solidifying commitment for  advancement in aviation safety in Africa.

    Read Also: Bureaucracy, cash crunch stall e-Passport issuance

    Badeh said : “I am confident this MoU will enhance effectiveness of our collaboration and commitment to promoting safer skies and operational excellence in Nigeria and beyond.”

    Appreciating the bureau’s support and partnership, Registrar of AAAU, represented by Director of Physical Planning and Works, Masud Aliyu Yerima, said: “The journey of AAAU’s establishment and progress would have faced challenges without NASIB’s support.”

    Yerima hailed Badeh’s leadership and dedication in propelling NSIB to greater heights.

    He affirmed AAAU’s readiness to engage in beneficial endeavours with NSIB, ensuring realisation of shared objectives.

    ”This partnership marks a milestone in fostering a culture of safety and excellence in the sector, and NSIB and AAAU are poised to leverage this to benefit the industry and nation.”

  • Bureau releases tax defaulters’ figure

    Osun State Bureau of Statistics has released figures of tax defaulters.

    The Statistician-General, Prof. Wasiu Alagbe Gbolagade, said in a statement that measures must be taken to address the “lackadaisical attitude of our people in the payment of tax to the government.”

    He said the database for record of tertiary and non-government health institutions showed that the number of registered private health institutions was 586.

    Gbolagade said: “Of this figure, the population of those paying tax regularly is 60. Those not paying tax are 526.

    “In the case of registered private pharmacy premises, the total number of registered premises is 87 as at March 20. Seventy seven are not paying tax. Only 10 are paying when due.

    “The record of registered patent and proprietary medicine vendors shows that the number registered with the government is 692 and none is paying.

    “The number of registered beer parlours with the government is 172 and none is paying tax. Larger percentages of beer parlours have not registered with the government. Precisely, seven out of 30 registered.

    “The registered number of eateries in Osogbo, the state capital, is nine and those responding to tax are seven. Two are not complying.

    “The number of registered hotels is 381. Only 18 are paying tax.

    “The number of registered water establishment is 477, out of which 470 are paying taxes. Seven are not paying. The number of registered petrol stations with the government is 723. Six hundred and seventy-one are not paying tax to the government. Only 52 are responding positively.

    “Two thousand, four hundred and fifty cooperatives are registered. All of them are not paying tax because they claim they are non-profit organisations.”

  • Nigeria’s pioneer credit bureau to float N503m rights issues

    CR Services (Credit Bureau) Plc, Nigeria’s pioneer credit bureau operator, plans to raise N503.15 million in new equity funds to strengthen its operations.

    CR Services will be raising the new equity funds through a combined rights issue of ordinary and preference shares.

    A document obtained by The Nation indicated that the company will be offering 32.86 million ordinary shares of N1 each to existing shareholders at N1.05 per share. It will also simultaneously offer 72.86 million ordinary shares of N1 each with class A preference rights to existing shareholders at N1.11 per share. Also, a total of N352.87 million ordinary shares of N1 each with class B preference rights will be offered to existing shareholders at N1.09 per share.

    The qualification date for the rights issue was September 25, 2017 and the combined offer is expected to open for subscription in the next few days.

    The shares will be pre-allotted on the basis of five new ordinary shares for every seven ordinary shares of N1 each; five new ordinary shares with class A preference rights for every seven class A preference shares of N1 each and five new ordinary shares with class B preference rights for every seven class B preference shares of N1 each held as at the qualification date.

    Incorporated in Nigeria in January 2003 as Nigeria’s first private credit bureau operator, CR Services commenced full operations in December 2003 as the pioneer fully operational credit bureau. It has since set record as the first credit bureau in the world to integrate anti-fraud and biometric technologies into a credit bureau system.

    CR Services, with strategic technical partnership with CreditRegistry Corporation, has laid the foundation for fraud-proof, large-scale consumer and small business credit in Nigeria, providing information, innovation and practical know-how that set it apart.

    With biometric technology, CR Services identifies consumers based not only on their personal information, but through fingerprint and facial recognition, which are unique to every individual. CR Services enables creditors to know a customer’s true identity, preventing revenue loss and protecting consumers from identity theft fraud.

    After a successful private placement in 2007, the CR Services began a significant expansion of its services through the creation of the credit and risk management division. Through this division, CR Services has provided risk management solutions that have helped clients with new products touching every strategic and tactical element of the credit cycle model – planning, acquiring accounts, maintaining accounts, collections and remedial management and creating management information systems (MIS).

    CR Services is reputed to have the largest credit bureau database of over 30 million records and widest member coverage by industry, strengthening its trail-blazing efforts as the first credit bureau to record 100 per cent coverage of commercial banking industry in Nigeria and the first to introduce credit bureau scores into the Nigerian market.

  • Bureau automates land documentation

    Determined to ease the challenge associated with land processing, the Lagos State Lands’ Bureau has introduced a new procedure. The Integrated Land Administration and Automation System is meant to shorten  procedure for land allocation and administration.

    The new process will allow intending clients of the Bureau to submit applications on-line. This system will take about 18 months to begin after full installation of equipment that will drive the process.

    The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Lands’ Bureau, Governor’s Office, Mr. Bode Agoro, explained that automation of the system  became necessary because of delays caused by manual operation.              ‘’No matter how you structure your administration using manual processes, you cannot have maximum productivity,’’ Agoro said. He explained part of the benefit to include allowing the bureau to create a secondary market whereby titles issued by the lands bureau can be guaranteed, that is, the bureau would partner with insurance companies to guarantee the title and trade with it as if trading in shares. A quality control unit to block all leakages has also been set up; this will help to improve service delivery especially in the area of double allocation.

    On the issue of encroachment on land due to the activities of land grabbers, government, he explained, has responded by enacting a law against the practice and a taskforce has been set up to carry out its implementation. The Act prescribes a jail term for violators of the law. He, therefore, advised interested land buyers to always request for a survey plan before buying any property and come to the office of the Surveyor-General to confirm its authenticity.

    Agoro admitted that the recession affecting the bureau, stating that since the recession the volume of application  has dropped compared to when the country was not in recession, and what the bureau is  doing now is to speed up the processes and make it faster so as to attract more customers.

    The bureau, he further explained, has been carrying out various programmes discreetly, results of which he claimed “speaks for the bureau.”

    ‘’We are doing a lot of work in the background, we are putting a lot of changes and those changes have been yielding positive results. They have been able to weed out a lot of unscrupulous practices and officers that are not able to meet up with the demands have been shown the way out and the remaining ones have been engaged in training and orientation,” he said, adding that he is leading by example.

    Agoro said the orientation of the staff has changed. He charged all staff of the bureau to treat every client politely. For this purpose, he explained that the office of Public Relations & Complain was established.

  • Badagry visitors’ bureau unveils plans

    Badagry visitors’ bureau unveils plans

    IN an effort to boost the profile of the ancient town of Badagry as a tourism and investment destination, the Badagry Convention and Visitors Bureau has unveiled plans for the Badagry Economic Summit and the Lagos Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference, among other events lined up to promote and market the rich heritage of Badagry in 2017.

    The development, noted the bureau, would help reposition Badagry as a tourism destination in Lagos.

    Speaking during the monthly Forum of the Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET) at NANTA Secretariat  in Lagos recently, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Badagry Convention and Visitors Bureau, and former permanent secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Dr Ashamu Sewanu Fadipe, said the bureau has also concluded arrangements to organise the Igbo Art and Culture International Festival and the Yoruba Conference Series in 2017 in Badagry.

    He said that the bureau is set to market Badagry as a tourism destination to the rest of the world and to serve as a focal point for coordination of all tourism activities in Badagry.

    He pointed out that the convention and visitors bureau is found in other developed countries of the world, hence the establishment of the Badagry Convention and Visitors Bureau.

    The aim is to make Badagry a destination and create programmes that will make Badagry worth visiting and investing in, Dr Ashamu explained.

    He listed other functions of the bureau to include provision of services that will enhance the quality of visitors’ experience, providing leadership in expanding tourism opportunities in Badagry, generating economic activities through visitors’ spending for the people of Badagry and environs, serving as catalyst and facilitator for tourism infrastructure development, serving as a clearing house for all hospitality establishment in Badagry, attracting investment opportunities to Badagry and encouraging visitors to enjoy the ambience of natural, cultural and historical sites, including the hospitality of the people of Badagry.

    Fadipe disclosed that the bureau is a Public Private Partnership arrangement with the Badagry Local Government.

    He explained that the Badagry Economic Summit is expected to bring together stakeholders in the Badagry economy to find ways of making Badagry the next economic hub in Lagos State, adding that speakers and investors are expected to deliver papers in the area of tourism, seaport development, logistics parks, oil sector and hospitality development.

    On the Lagos Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference, the MD/CEO of the Badagry Convention and Visitors Bureau noted that the state of Lagos is overdue for annual hotel and tourism conference.

    “The theme for this conference scheduled for 24th and 25th of August, next year, is making Lagos the preferred hospitality and tourism hub in Africa. The purpose of this important conference is to further create awareness about the industry and bring visitors and investors not only to Badagry, but as well as the state. Speakers have started showing interest. Discussions will centre on areas which are not limited to the development of business tourism in Lagos State, challenges of tour operators in Lagos State, tourism and immigration services, Nigerian experience, eco-tourism development which way for Epe and Badagry axis,” Fadipe said.

    He stated that the Igbo Art and Culture Festival is scheduled for 28th and 30th of April 2017 in the ancient city of Badagry.

    He said: ”Our main focus is to bring as many visitors as possible to Badagry. This festival is expected to showcase different Igbo culture and traditions to the delight of the visitors. We have commenced preparations for the festival.”

    He added that the Yoruba Conference Series is a unique opportunity for the Yoruba to come together to deliberate on their history for subsequent generations.

  • Overhaul Bureau of Public Procurement, expert says

    Overhaul Bureau of Public Procurement, expert says

    The principal partner of Etudo & Co, a Lagos-based firm of estate surveyors and valuers, Ebube Etudo, has faulted the public procurement process in the country, saying it is laden with  anomalies. He, therefore, called for a complete overhaul of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).

    According to Etudo, less than 10 per cent of public procurement by ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) is concluded, while the remaining 90 per cent is either sabotaged or left inconclusive.

    He lamented that the BPP, which has oversight functions on such exercises, seems helpless in ensuring that any process initiated is concluded in accordance with the provisions of the enabling Act.

    The Public Procurement Act in Section 16, Etudo said, is very explicit on some fundamental principles guiding the selection process of a firm bidding for a project. The  criteria include openness, equity, fit for purpose, transparency and competitiveness to give value for money. Regrettably, he said, what obtains in the system is that unqualified firms are given jobs, thereby, violating the Procurement Act.

    “The principle of public procurement provides that it must be advertised, open, competitive and transparent so that you get the best in terms of quality and price. It also provides that any firm bidding for a government job must be PenCom compliant; not a newly registered company; must not evade taxes and must not owe its workers’ salaries.

    “But what we have today in practical terms, is a sham, and falls below even the minimum acceptable standard of public procurement as established by its Act,” Etudo said, adding that the violation of any section of the  Act is a criminal offence.

    He contended that since the Act applies to projects or institutions where the government has financial commitment of up to 35 per cent or more, it, therefore, presupposes that the federal, state and local governments must comply with the provisions of the Act. This, he said,  is because they receive more than 35 per cent of their revenue from the Federal Government.

    Etudo, who said the fight against corruption must be total, is convinced that the public procurement Act presents a veritable tool to fight the menace. He is convinced that if the provisions of the Public Procurement Act are complied with, governments across board will save up to 70 per cent of their expenditure for capital projects.

    For instance, he said in the first year Britain introduced the Act, it was able to save up to 40 per cent in government expenditure.

    He argued further that if the principles of Public Procurement Act are fully adhered to, Nigeria would save up to 80 per cent of government expenditure, a margin which he claimed has been eroded due to the extent of violations.

    “Corruption is pervasive in our society because we lack the political will to fight the menace forgetting that the architecture of corruption is very weak and it crumbles with minimal force,” Etudo said.

  • Establishment of whistle blowing bureau

    SIR: The past 16 years in the history of Nigeria can aptly be described as years when greed, fiscal indiscipline, undeterred misappropriation and daylight looting of public funds in all the three tiers of government, money laundering, oil bunkering, flagrant abuse of power, unchecked stealing of the nation’s crude oil and establishment of petroleum refineries abroad by public office holders, scams of all sorts, flaunting of stolen wealth with impunity by politicians, public office holders and their cronies nationwide, power recycling and social vices such as kidnapping and cultism became the order of the day.

    There is no doubt that the establishment of Federal Bureau of Whistle Blowing (FBWB) will play a significant role in the actualisation of the promise of Mr. President to Nigerians on his inauguration day towards ensuring equitable distribution of the nation’s wealth that has continued to remain in the hands of a negligible percentage of Nigerians in the past 16 years.

    Without mincing words, Nigerians both at home and in Diaspora will actively support this idea coming against the backdrop of the statement made by a one-time Chairman of EFCC, Chief (Mrs.) Farida Waziri, while delivering her keynote address on Monday, September 28, 2009 at a workshop in Kaduna on transparency and accountability in the public service. She said: “The extent of aggrandisement and gluttonous accumulation of wealth that I have observed suggests to me that some people are mentally and psychologically unsuitable for public office.  We have observed people amassing public wealth to a point suggesting ‘madness’ or some form of obsessive compulsive psychiatric disorder.”

    In addition to the establishment of Whistle Blowing Bureau nationwide, there is also a need for the establishment of Forfeited Assets Management Commission (FAMC) with offices in all the 36 state capitals and the Federal Capital Territorory, Abuja.

     

    • Odunayo Joseph

    Mopa, Kogi State

     

  • ‘Why credit bureau patronage is rising’

    The Managing Director, CRC Credit Bureau Limited, Tunde Popoola has said Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN’s) policy mandating banks to use at least two credit bureaux for all credit approvals has boosted patronage by over 25 per cent.

    He said since the policy became effective, top management of banks have demonstrated their interest on what is going on between the banks and credit bureaux.

    This, he added, has also shown how committed the CBN is to making sure that there is success for credit bureau operations.

    “It has been very significant, I must tell you. Since August last year, we got to daily threshold of usage that we have not had for a long time. That showed us that banks take the policy very seriously. So, that has led to significant improvement in relationship between us.

    “We now have banks showing interest in collecting data, updating data. Even the ease with which they submit data now has increased. Every bank should submit data not later than five days after month-end. The numbers of institutions that are submitting data now have increased tremendously. It cannot be less than 25 per cent increase in the number of institutions and volume of transactions,” he said.

    He said the competition in the sector is very healthy.

    He said: “As you know, lenders are known. It is a market that everyone knows. What we are trying to do is focus in the formal market, which are the regulated segment of the market, which are commercial banks, merchant banks, the leasing companies, microfinance banks, primary mortgage institutions. So, the competition has been very keen around that area. So we are competing for all these institutions.

    “But the issue has been how you have been how innovative have you been as a credit bureau. Can these people be able to access your platform. How long does it take them to be able to download information from your platform. What is the level of your relationship management. How easy is it for them to reach you, or for you to reach them?

    “And again, the quality of your report and depth of information they get from your platform, which have to do with the quantum of information you have and the number of institutions that are submitting information to you. These are what constitute competitive edge for us at CRC. For us, we have a much more robust credit information report that is rounded and comprehensive.”

    According to Popoola, the company has produced significant products to support our customers.

    “We have prided ourselves as the market leader, and we are focusing on thoughtful leadership. We want to be in the mind of everybody. We have moved from just collecting information from regulated entities to non-formal sectors. So, you se some level of patronage from corporative societies, pharmaceutical companies, among others,” he said.