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Tag: Hajia Aisha Abubakar

  • Buhari’s re-election proves Nigerians support his policies – Minister

    The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Aisha Abubakar, says the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari was a proof of support for his administration’s policies by Nigerians.

    Abubakar made the remark at a high-level interactive dialogue on ‘Building Alliances for Social Protection Systems, Access to Public Services and Sustainable Infrastructure and the Empowerment of Women and Girls’ in New York.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Abubakar is leading the Nigerian delegation to the 63rd Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the UN headquarters in New York.

    The minister said the session’s theme was in tandem with the social protection and development strategies being currently implemented in Nigeria by Buhari’s administration.

    Abubakar said: “President Buhari’s recent re-election for a second term has demonstrated the support of Nigerians for his administration and their unwavering interest in the social protection systems and economic development strategies being implemented in the country.

    “These social protection strategies, founded on sound, sustainable and predictable development framework and economic structures, are designed to meet the overall objectives of eradicating poverty in all its ramifications as encapsulated in the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.

    According to her, these strategies are designed to harness and provide social protection for the Nigeria’s estimated 99 million female population.

    She said the Nigerian Economic Recovery and Growth Plan identified human capital investment, restoring growth, and building a competitive economy for women and girls as key pillars to national development.

    The minister explained that the Federal Government-led social protection policy had three main programmes, namely: the conditional cash transfer in Care of the People, the health fee waiver for pregnant women and children under five, and the community-based health insurance scheme.

    She said “the Government Enterprise and Empowerment programme, a loan scheme for local artisans, traders and market women, has benefitted about 57,962 Nigerians with 56 per cent women beneficiaries”.

    “Similarly, the ‘Anchor Borrowers Programme’ has produced over 300,000 rice farmers, majority of whom are women in rural areas.

    To further enhance access to public services and sustainable infrastructure, Abubakar said Nigeria was implementing the several measures to drive all-inclusive social empowerment strategies.

    She explained that the ‘N-Power Volunteer Corps has employed not less than 200,000 people with target to hire over 350,000 graduates and non-graduates yearly.

    Another measure, she said, was the establishment of the Development Bank of Nigeria to provide sustainable financial support to small and medium scale enterprises.

    “The ‘Market Moni’ provides loans at single digit for market women, artisans, enterprising youths, small-scale farmers and agric workers nationwide with about 2.5million beneficiaries,” she said.

    According to her, the ‘Home-Grown School Feeding Programme’ provides one free, nutritious daily meal for children in public primary schools.

    “The ‘Agricultural Revolutionary Policy 2016 to 2020’ has boosted agriculture activities and created five million dignified jobs with decent pay for women and youths.

    “With support from the World Bank, the Nigeria for Women Project is established to directly impact 324,000 women beneficiaries,” the minister explained .

    She said a summit on ‘Keeping Girls in School’ was convened to bring together influential traditional and religious leaders from across the African continent to discuss the critical issue of ‘keeping girls’ in school to complete primary and secondary education.

    Abubakar added that a National Strategy to End Child Marriage 2016 to 2021 was launched to highlight the multi-sectoral and multi-faceted measures to halt harmful practices against girls and strengthen coordination.

    “At the 2018 World Technovation Challenge in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, U.S, five Nigerian girls won Gold Medals in the contest.

    “The World Champions won the Challenge with a mobile application called the FDDETECTOR, which they developed to help tackle the challenge of fake Pharmaceutical products in Nigeria.

    “This was one of several innovations by the Nigerian girls,” the minister said. (NAN)

  • Nigeria pledges to eliminate all discriminations against women

    Nigeria has pledged to fully and effectively implement all regional and international treaties and conventions that are aimed at eliminating any form of discrimination against women.

    The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Aisha Abubakar, made the pledge on the sideline of the 63rd Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the UN headquarters in New York.

    The theme of the event is: “Addressing Inequalities and Equity Through Investment in Social Protection Systems for the Empowerment of Women and Girls in Nigeria’’.

    Abubakar said: “Nigeria as a member of the UN is committed to the full and effective implementation of goals and objectives of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Optional Protocol thereof.’’

    She also pledged Nigeria’s commitment to implement fully and effectively the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda 2030.

    According to the minister, Nigeria is also committed to implementing other relevant regional and international Conventions and Treaties, which provide legal framework and a comprehensive set of measures for the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment.

    READ ALSO: Shut Out: Why political space is shrinking for women

    “As you are aware, investments in gender-responsive social protection systems, public services and sustainable infrastructure are critical to tackling economic, social, environmental and demographic challenges, as well as meeting the objectives of Agenda 2030 for sustainable development.

    “Over the years, successive Nigerian governments have made progress in facilitating social protection systems by widening women and girls’ access to public services and sustainable infrastructure.

    “At present, social protection coverage has increased through massive investments in girl-child education, provision of micro credit facilities for the development of small and medium scale businesses involving women.

    “The social protection coverage also covers expanding essential health care coverage for women and girls,’’ she said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the panel discussed holistic view of different forms and gave insightful perspectives on how inequalities and equity were addressed in Nigeria, with different government agencies making presentations.

    Some of the issues discussed include, “’Investing in Building Social Assets and Safe Spaces for Addressing Gender Gaps in Nigeria’’.

    Others are “Strategies for Enhancing Women and Girls Access to Public Services and the Social Protection Systems in Nigeria, Harnessing Synergies and Securing Financing Opportunities for the Empowerment of Women and Girls’’.

    The minister explained that human capital development was key to the progress of the country.

    “In Nigeria, low investment in social protection, education and health over the years could be largely blamed on the mono-economy and the dwindling government resources including high rate of poverty, inflation and by extension the insurgency.

    “Under investment in human capital has resulted in half-baked graduates, huge skills gap, unhealthy population, high maternal and child mortality rate, low productivity, high unemployment and low-income among others.

    “To address these negative indices and improve investment in human capital, however, the present administration is boosting the drive for non-oil revenue.

    “Toward this, the administration has launched a zero-oil economic road map as a way of making Nigeria less dependent on oil, while encouraging investments in other sectors of the economy.

    “This no doubt has helped to deliver on the much-needed infrastructure, the social protection programmes and access to public service,’’ Abubakar said.

    The minister said Nigeria was recently ranked highest in the banking sector throughout the African continent and could be said to have attained gender parity in the banking sector with three of the bank Chairpersons being women.

    She said when women had access to finance in their own names, they tend to spend it on financing their children’s education, family health care, housing, nutrition and on other things that improves their living standard.

    According to her, the impact on financial empowerment of women can be much greater than that of men because men are generally far less likely to make those kinds of community and household investments.

    Earlier, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Prof. Tijjani Bande, had called for workable plans, practical recommendations and best practices including support that could help to address the challenge of inequalities in Nigeria social investment systems.

    Bande said building a stronger, inclusive and more prosperous economy for all Nigerians required collaboration and solutions that could only come from working together.

    He also stressed the need to continue to leverage on collective efforts, resources and voices to help achieve the SDGs by 2030.

    NAN

  • Fortification: Gates Foundation, Dangote, FG engage food processors on Nutrition

    The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Aliko Dangote Foundation and the Federal government have joined forces to fight acute malnutrition in Nigeria by engaging with the behemoths in food processing sector as well as regulatory agencies on prioritizing food fortification right from the processing stage.

    Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, the Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajia Aisha Abubakar, the Director, Nutrition and Global Development, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Shawn Baker, President Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, BUA Group President, Abdul-Samad Rabiu among other leading processors at a forum in Lagos signed a communique to boost enforcement of key regulations and incentivizing adherence; integrate food fortification as key performance indicator, incorporate framework evaluation as well as foster the enabling environment that provides technical solution for sustainable production.

    The Government representative, Abubakar, speaking on the agreement said the essential benefits of food fortification were enormous and crucial to resolving the health challenges especially in the nation’s minority population. She pledged that the government would work towards making the operating environment for processors less tedious.

    “This meeting was to ensure that everybody is on board. We had a meeting with the CEOs to ensure that they will commit to ensuring that they fortify their products and government will also commit to making sure that whatever challenge they have in the industry which is basically the cost of nutrients and that government is able to do something to reduce their cost of production,” she said.

    According to the Director, Nutrition and Global Development Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Shawn Baker, the Foundation will increase its focus on providing technical support to industries with the backing of Technoserve, an international development agency contracted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to implement a project on Strengthening African Processors of Fortified Foods (SAPFF). Support will also be given to government agencies in the bid to stifle regulations on unwholesome practices in the country.

    He said: “We have actually been working on a large scale of food fortification over 15 years because after when you think about malnutrition, you think about a child on the street but a more huge problem are deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals or immune functions which can lead to death, they can lead to birth defects. But food fortification is almost a miraculous way you can help resolve that by adding to commonly consumed food in the case of Nigeria, Salt, flour cooking oil and sugar. The industries represented at the dialogue represents over 70 per cent of the market of all of those foods consumed by Nigerian households every day by effectively putting in those nutrients to ensuring that mums and kids are getting many of the essential nutrients.”

    The Managing Director, PZ Wilmar West Africa, Mr Santoshi Pillai voicing the stance of the processors assured that processing procedures will be made to align with global best practices in order to win the fight against malnutrition.

    According to him, it is imperative industries and private sector partners to address key themes of understanding malnutrition and how it can be resolved in terms of food fortification. “Education of Nigerian consumers, lack of compliance, the role of Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in ensuring that there is compliance will be our focus. In terms of cost, there is an assumption that food fortification is very costly. So we discussed that we should bring the cost of these items down and then we discussed that we should look at the government reducing tariffs.”

    The Country Director Technoserve, Larry Umunna explained that the firm will provide customized technical assistance to food processors in the wheat flour, vegetable oil and sugar sectors.

  • How paucity of funds stifled revitalisation of textile industry

    The Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajia Aisha Abubakar has decried the low production capacity of all the cotton producing companies in the country despite the different reforms initiated.

    The minister, who disclosed this during a media chat in Abuja, stated that the current administration at inception was determined to revitalise the textile industries as part of its campaign promises by visiting the different textile factories in Lagos, Zaria, Kaduna and Kano.

    However, she lamented that the ministry discovered abysmal level of growth with regards to production capacity. “The significance of the textile industry and its impact on the collapse on the nation’s economy is best illustrated by the fact that, at its height, the sector had created over 800,000 jobs, representing 25% of the total number of jobs in the manufacturing sector, second only to the government in the employment of labor. Also, there were 175 textile mills in the country during its golden era, (i.e. 1985 – 1991) out of which today, all but 27 of them have since gone under. In an attempt to understand the sector and the many challenges it faced, we traversed, held exhibitions, and had several but endless meetings.  We even met and held extensive talks or rubbing of minds with a broad spectrum of members and leadership of the textile labour union.”

    She stressed that other impediments hindering greater speed in the actualisation of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s blue print of action in the textile sector include the troubling phenomena of counterfeiting and smuggled textile materials especially from China.

  • Minister lauds ITF for training 300 youths on skills development programme

    The Minster of State,  Industry,  Trade and Investment,  Hajia Aisha Abubakar has praised the Industrial Training Fund, ITF for training 300 young men and women on skills acquisition,  thereby supporting the government on job creation.

    The Minister who stated this at the closing ceremony of the National Industry Skills Development Programm NSIDP, in Abuja, said the training will enable these youths become entrepreneurs at an early stage in life.

    She urged the ITF to continually monitor the trained youths to ensure the starter packs given to them after the programme are well utilised.

    “I want to stress that this initiative of the agency is part of the  Government’s policy of job creation and poverty reduction by equipping as many youths as possible with skills acquisition among others.

    “Over 300 young men and women were beneficiaries of the National Industry Skills Development Programme NISDP. It is important that the ITF monitor the trainees continually to get best out of them.

     

     

  • SONA Group industries invests $650m in sectors, asks for concession

    SONA Group industries invests $650m in sectors, asks for concession

    …As minister pledge govt attention, others

    Sona Group of Industries has urged the Federal Government to ban the importation of sorghum; barley and biscuits into the country as Nigeria is self-sufficient on them.

    Speaking in his office at Ota over the weekend at the inauguration of their new production lines by the Minister of State for Commerce, Industry & Trade, Hajia Aisha Abubakar, Group Chief Operating Officer of the Group, Mr. Ashok Manghnani said their subsidiary, Food, Agro & Allied Industries Limited remained the largest and most modern malt extract plant in Africa.

    He revealed that the group has invested over $650m in over 8 subsidiaries and have over 8,000 employees and asked for a generous support by government through policies that will encourage and enhance local manufacturing.

    He disclosed that they not only have capacity to take care of local demands but also has started exporting to Senegal, Ghana and Abidjan with prospects into other countries in Africa. He cautioned that allowing importation of products the nation have competitive advantage is not good for local manufacturing and will harm the economy of the country.

    He said: We produce a vast range of quality products including quality malted sorghum, malt extract, maltose syrup, glucose syrup a substitute for imported sugar. The products are key inputs in breweries, biscuits manufacturing, confectionery& pharmaceutical companies as well as other food and beverage industries. Our fully automated plant can produce 25,000 tons of malt extract, high maltose syrup and raw sorghum. There is therefore the need to increase the tariff from the 5 per cent it is currently to discourage importation as we are comfortably self-sufficient in these raw materials.”

    While calling for preferential rate for lending to the manufacturing sector, Manghnani called the attention of the minister to the Bank of Industry (BoI) prohibitive commercial rate to the sector noting that it is detrimental to the sector.

    According to him no industrial concern can survive on the 15 per cent charged by the bank.

    In his remarks, the Group Managing Director of the group, Mr. Ajai Musaddi also asked that the 20 per cent custom duty on ethanol be reversed. He said: “Government should increase tariff on imported biscuit as we are self-sufficient in it besides the miserly 5 per cent duty on imported plastics and pallets including sorghum should be discouraged. Except government takes this bold step the local industries will be endangered due to unhealthy competition.”

    Responding, the minister commended the commitment of the group to the economic growth of the nation through their backward integration programme and the large number of employees. She promised that the current administration is poised towards encouraging local enterprise through the government programme on Ease of doing Business.

    She said: “We will address some of the challenges your sector is experiencing by providing an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. We are indeed addressing it in the various policies we have come up with it, financing is a main issue in the sector and we are prepared to address it. Currently we are working on addressing the Sorghum challenge there is no good reason for it to be imported based on what l have seen today. In the shortest possible time you will experience a relief in your line of business as government is building linkages across sector.

  • FG to ‘tackle constraints’ in textile sector

    The Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajia Aisha Abubakar, said that government is implementing plans to tackle some of the industrial constraints in the nation’s textile sector.

    Abubakar disclosed this during a weekend tour of textile factories in Kano and at a forum organised by the Bank of Industry, the News Nigeria of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    She said that government has identified several issues including gas supply, smuggling and counterfeiting as constraints which would be addressed to revive the nation’s textile industry.

    Abubakar said government will also promote patronage of made in Nigeria products by agencies of government.

    ” Some of the issues we are trying to address are the issues of smuggling and counterfeiting and gas supply to the North.

    “We are also trying to address the issue of patronage. On the issue of patronage, I am sure that by next year we will see more results because they also told us that special interests have come forward to them,” NAN quoted the minister as saying during the tour.

     

  • FG to tackle constraints in textile sector–Abubakar

    FG to tackle constraints in textile sector–Abubakar

    The Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajia  Aisha Abubakar, said that government is implementing plans to tackle some of the industrial constraints in the nation’s textile sector.

    Abubakar disclosed this after a weekend tour of  textile factories in Kano and at a forum organised by the Bank of Industry.

    She said that government has identified several issues including gas supply, smuggling and counterfeiting as constraints which would be addressed to revive the textile industry in the country.

    Abubakar said that government will also promote  patronage of made in Nigeria products by agencies of government  .

    ” Some of the issues we are trying to address are the issues of smuggling and counterfeiting and gas supply to the North.

    “We are also trying to address the issue of patronage. On the issue of patronage, I am sure that by next year we will see more results because they also told us that special interests have come forward to them,” Abubakar said.

    She urged the operators to articulate their thoughts on how to move the industry forward and ensure that the critical role of the sector in the nation’s economy is sustained.

    The Minister said that  some of the things textiles manufacturers were  asking for during the visit were not in line with government thinking at the moment.

    According to her, there was the need for stakeholders to find a common ground that would ensure that stakeholders are accountable and responsible for achieving the needed growth in the industry.

    Abubakar noted that the Export Expansion Grants (EEG) previously offered as incentives  by government was grossly  abused by stakeholders.

    According to her,  the government was looking at bringing EEG back in an entirely different way for better and effective implementation.

    “You know the EEG was so much abused. The EEG is going to come back but it is going to come back in a different way.

    “And I don’t know what is going to happen to what is outstanding. We are trying to look at different ways to make it easy for those who have really done what they were supposed to do.

    “A lot of verifications, an audit is still ongoing for us to see what we can do because we generally believe in EEG.

    “But the implementation of it has not been done well. There is no government that can do anything without incentives, so EEG is coming back,” she added.

    The forum was organised by the Bank of Industry (BoI), titled “the role of financial institutions in driving the industrial development of a nation: A – Z of accessing BoI’s credit facility.

    Apart from this, the development finance institution has been at the vanguard of reviving the once moribund sector, having approved loans to over 70 projects in the cotton textile and garment value chain.

    The Minister visited five textile manufacturing plants including African Textile Manufacturing Limited, Nigerian Spinners and Dyerrs‎ Limited, Tofa Textile Limited, Tertex Nigeria Limited, and Adhama Textile and Garment Industries  Limited.

    The Minister was accompanied by the President of MAN, Dr Frank Jacobs  and the General Secretary, Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, Comrade Issa Aremu‎.

  • FG plans nationwide campaign for Made-in-Nigeria products

    FG plans nationwide campaign for Made-in-Nigeria products

    The Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajia Aisha Abubakar, on Friday in Abuja said that the ministry would soon launch a nationwide campaign to encourage Nigerians to patronise made-in Nigieria products.

    Abubakar stated this at the signing of a footwear production agreement between Global Smartfit Nigeria Ltd and Labora Shoes Ltd of South Africa in her office.

    The campaign is tagged, ” Patronise Naija Products’’.

    Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Aminu Bisala, the minister lauded the partnership deal aimed at boosting local manufacturing of leathers and other footwear products.

    “This venture is very commendable and there is no reason why it cannot be supported.

    ”Already, the ministry is furthering the campaign for made-in-Nigeria products, for us in Nigeria to consume what we produce and produce what we consume, and even go beyond that to export.

    “We have the people, we have the brain, we have the resources, and so there is nothing stopping us. As a nation we are proud of our commodities, we are proud of our products.

    “It is for the producers to ensure quality. An average Nigerian wants value for money and that is why possibly in the past you find them patronising even substandard foreign goods with the thinking that they are getting quality.

    “So, this is a laudable venture, and along with the Patronise Naija Products campaign, which we are going to launch very soon; we are going to support all similar initiatives not only in shoe production, but in all areas of SMEs (small and medium enterprises).

    “And I assure you that the government is doing all it can to further that cause. That is the spirit of this government, we are going to ensure the patronage of made in Nigeria products with all the patriotism of Nigerians that it deserves.

    “So, I commend you, and the foreign partner, it is a very welcome development. So, we hope in no distant future, we will not only be supplying the domestic market but also the West African market and even to South Africa.’’

    Mr Ogonna Okonkwo, the Managing Director of Global Smartfit, an indigenous footwear manufacturing company, said that the partnership would result in the establishment of shoe factories in different parts of the country.

    Okonkwo listed the economic benefits for the country to include job opportunities for Nigerians and local manpower development in mechanised shoe production.

    He expressed his readiness to partner with interested state governments in establishing shoe factories in their domains and training their indigenes in the art for economic development.

    Chief Executive Officer of Labora, Mr Desmond Chunderlal, said that Nigerians were deprived of affordable locally made quality footwear due to the absence of a structured footwear industry in the country.

    Chunderlal, however, said that with the partnership, the situation would soon be reversed for the overall development of the nation’s economy.