The Nation Newspaper

Tag: products

  • ‘How fake products affect oil’

    Adulterated petroleum products, including lubricants, are affecting the market share and profit margins of operators, A-Z Petroleum Limited Executive Director Mr Dikanna Okafor has said.

    Speaking on the sideline of the just-concluded Oil and Gas Logistics Expo in Lagos, Okafor said the firm had seen people selling fake lubricants and other fake products but it could not do anything.

    He urged stakeholders, including the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), to proffer solutions to the problem.

    Okafor said: “The firm will help in creating awareness for the growth of the sector. We know that fake lubricants are being brought into the market daily. We would try to educate consumers on what and how they can get value for their money by patronising quality products. We hope the issues surrounding fake products would be addressed soon.

    “We constantly seek opportunities to reiterate our commitment in the industry, and this is one event we are excited we are part of. Every developed country is driven by industrialisation and one thing common in industrialisation is machineries need lubricants to function effectively.

  • ‘Substandard products threaten economic diversification’

    ‘Substandard products threaten economic diversification’

    Diversification of the economy may be mirage if substandard products still flood the market, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Director-General, Dr Paul Angya has said.

    Angya said substandard products were overwhelming the country, adding that they are a threat to the economy.

    He said: “This is a very challenging time in our history and we must lay emphasis on standard. Which area can we say is immune from the incidence of substandard good? Substandard products have overrun the economy. They have wreaked havoc the nation’s economy.

    “If we do not sanitise the country of substandard goods, all efforts for diversification of the nation’s economy will fail. Until we clean up the country of substandard products, our economy has not started. We, as a nation, have not started.

    “We are in another type of war. These substandard products are seriously attacking our economy; until we address the upsurge, we would make no headway.”

    Angya said the agency is collaborating with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to fight the menace of substandard goods import.

    “SON and NCS have concluded arrangements to fight importation of substandard products into the country,” he said, adding that there was need for the establishment of a system that could support SON to raise the alarm on non-conformity and substandard products in the ports and borders.

    He said the nation has declared war on substandard products,  emphasising that SON would need the support of an institution such as NCS in fighting the war.

    He said: “Our mandate and what we do is very important for people living quality and fulfilled life. People can only live a quality life if there is quality goods. Our job affects people’s lives. That is why we need collaboration from the Customs because they are the first point of call of importation.”

    Angya said the organisation had shut down the Electronic Professional Clearance Certificate (EPCC) platform, so that people bringing goods into Nigeria conformed to SONCAP regime.

    “For us to succeed, we need the cooperation of Customs as the landlords of the ports. They are first point of contact, when products land. So, we need their support; we need their manpower and their expertise. Customs have been assisting us in the past; but, we are asking them to give us more. The problem is there. It has not gone away. We need additional support from them to be able to curb the influx of substandard products in the country,” he said.

  • ‘Buy made-in-Nigeria products’

    Nigerians have been enjoined to patronise made in Nigeria goods and services to foster the country’s economic growth.

    A group under the auspices of Proudly Nigeria also advised the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to close the borders to stop importation of foreign goods.

    The call was made at a meeting on the maiden edition of the Proudly Nigeria Expo scheduled to hold on September 5 to 11, 2016 in Abuja.

    Addressing journalists at the event, the convener of the expo, Mrs. Jumai Ahmadu said the expo is aimed at galvanising the citizens towards patronising goods and services that are wholly Nigerian, adding that it was the best thing to do in the face of dwindling economy.

    Mrs Ahmadu expressed worry that if nothing is been done, the country may be plunged into further economic difficulties as more businesses close down.

    She said, “The Federal Government should close the borders to stop the importation of foreign goods into Nigeria. Our country is facing economic difficulties: plunging unemployment, failing Naira, closure of businesses amongst other frightening development. For us the Proudly Nigeria Expo, we are of the firm conviction that the situation can be remedied if as Nigerians we will take some steps in the right direction of which buying Nigeria is integral.

    “It is in this regard that we feel compelled by the urgency of now to save the Nigerian economy, our economy. Last week the Naira exchanged at N400 to the Dollar! there is no gain saying what that means on the price of imported goods and patronage of foreign services.

    Mrs. Ahmadu argued that there is a need for  conscious and sustained advocacy to tame Nigerians appetite for foreign goods while applauding governments commitment to diversify the economy and generate revenue from sources other than crude. She added that “it is understandable that it takes time but experts have agreed that buying Nigeria stimulates the local economy given that all economic growth starts at the community level.

    She emphasised that patronising local goods helps the farmer, trader, artisan to stay in business. “Why should people buy imported eggs when the nutritional value is not different from eggs produced locally? Why should scarce forex be used for goods that can be produced locally and drive our economy? Being proudly Nigeria guarantees job security. If we do not patronise own goods and services, how do we ensure people stay employed and those looking for jobs are employed She therefore urged the producers and service providers to ensure quality output. Just as she task “government to ensure that the local content quota is adhered to by foreign companies doing business in Nigeria.

    “We are not un mindful of the clamor for quality. People want value fo their money and that was one of the reasons Nigerians resist substandard products produced locally. For instance, that insistence has yielded dividend that our electric cables are patronized more that imported ones. So who says quality is not here and cannot be attained. What we need is consistency and demand for improved goods and services.

    Speaking on the coming event next month, Mrs. Ahmadu said, “It will be a seven-day event to showcase the potential and opportunities that exist in Nigeria, trainings on start-ups and small businesses generally is our hope that our little beginning will lead to a more robust patronage of Nigerian goods and services.”

     

  • Independent marketers to access products

    The Federal Government has restored the rights of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) to access products in all depots across the country, its chairman, Board of Trustees, Alhaji Abdulkadir Aminu said, has said..

    The action followed the resolution of the crisis that rocked the association which saw the association playing host to members of the Nigerian Association of Transport Owners (NARTO) in Abuja.

    He said: “I am sure that by the minister’s intervention in restoring all our rights across all the depots across the federation, Nigerians will have better access to products because we control 80 per cent.

    “We paid a courtesy call on the minister being a man who initiated this peace to ensure that IPMAN becomes one. He assured us that now that we have heeded to his advice, he hereby restores all our rights to all the depots in the federation.

    “With that now, we can take charge in all the petroleum products distribution in all the 21 depots in Nigeria. In no time the crisis of petroleum products scarcity will no longer exist.”

    He said the marketers’ National Executive is partnering with some multi-nationals to assist the Federal Government to make products available in the country.

    The BoT chairman added that the executive of the association will create value in the industry by ensuring they partner with foreign investors to build at least one refinery during the present administration.

    He however noted that due to the bad roads in the country, IPMAN’s trucks do not last long.

    Speaking, IPMAN’s National President, Chief Lawson Obasi, said the association plans to commence importation of petroleum products to boost the activities of the downstream sector.

  • ‘Nigeria needs global products to grow non-oil exports’

    Nigerian businesses, exporters, government and other stakeholders should build a portfolio of unique, distinctively tasteful and original products that will appeal to international consumers, participants at a forum have said.

    At the conference organised by the Women in Education and Leadership Development Society in collaboration with the Business Women Group of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), in Lagos, the participants agreed on the need for  stakeholders to form a common front towards enhancing the competitiveness of Nigerian products in the global market.

    Managing Director, 3T Impex Trade Academy, Mr. Bamidele Ayemibo, who spoke on the strategies for “transiting from local production to global consumption”, said qualitative, tested and physically attractive products could open up the global market and related funding to small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

    Ayemibo, who runs one of Africa’s top five trade consulting firms, recently returned from a United Kingdom (UK) tour that included marketing of some Nigerian-made snacks, including plantain chips, potato chips, corn meal (Kokoro), locusts beans spices (Iru), pap (from maize and Guinea corn), groundnut cake (Kulikuli), pineapple snacks, mango snacks, fruits and nut mix and coated peanuts, said small-scale manufacturers in Nigeria who have good quality products but need more market and funding to scale-up and grow their businesses stand better chance of success in the global market if the manufacturers and other stakeholders address the entire value-chain of the local-to-global transition, including good preparation, competitive product, seamless and cost-effective process, adequate problem-resolution mechanisms and projective response approach that take into consideration other possibilities.

    He pointed out that exporting Nigerian products for the consumption of Nigerians in Diaspora would not qualify as real exporting business, noting that a product is not global because it is abroad unless other nationals are patronising it.

    Ayemibo urged the government to provide incentives that could enhance Nigerian exports, including provision of amenable finance at the lowest possible cost, setting up a free laboratory that could confirm the standards of products, pre-export incentives, such as payment of freight charges to destination and leading efforts to establish private public partnership outfits that could provide consulting services to existing and prospective exporters.

    He advised exporters to invest in continuous upgrade of their products in line with international standards and changing tastes in order to remain relevant and also to avoid the problems of litigation that could come with poor standards and misinformation.

    “If we want to create enduring wealth for our children, create extensive wealth for the country and create everlasting wealth for the continent of Africa, then all hands must be on the deck to promote the transition from local production to global production,” Ayemibo added.

  • Value addition, organic farming’ll boost non-oil products, says NEPC

    Value addition, organic farming’ll boost non-oil products, says NEPC

    The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has said value addition and organic farming are possible strategies that can boost non-oil products export.

    NEPC’s Trade Promotion Advisor and Export Assistant in Benin Mr. Macpherson Fred-Ileogben, who made this known in Benin, the Edo State capital, said the strategies were necessary to enable exporters know how to make their products acceptable in foreign markets and earn more value for them.

    He said the government was looking at diversifying resource generation from oil to non-oil products. “The government is also promoting the exportation of non-oil products because it is a way to boost foreign exchange earnings, conserve the foreign reserve and create jobs,” he stated.

    Fred-Ileogben advised exporters and would-be ones to key into this policy and generate more foreign exchange for the country and strengthen the valve of the naira. He said value chain addition was, therefore, imperative to making non-oil exports more competitive and acceptable in the international market.

    “On the average, our products are up to standard, but we have to do more so that they can compete well at the international market. The country needs to do more in the aspect of infrastructure, such as improving power, processing facilities, access roads and rail transportation to ease conversion of raw materials into semi-finished or finished goods for exportation,” the NEPC trade advisor said.

    According to him, most semi-finished or finished products attract more value at the international market than products in their raw forms. “If you are taking anything outside the country, we expect that the standard and packaging should be acceptable abroad. If the standard is good, it will earn you good value for your product, but if otherwise, it could be rejected,” he pointed out.

    While adding that worse still, the exporter will bear the cost of returning it back to the country, Fred-Ileogben advised farmers to adopt the emerging international trend in organic farming. This, according to him, involves concentrating more on the use of organic materials, such as farm manures, crop rotation and planting on the right soil and at the right time.

    His words: “We are encouraging farmers to shift from subsistence farming to commercial farming for purposes of exportation. As they do so, they should also do more of organic farming as the prolonged use of inorganic fertilisers has adverse health effects on both the plants and humans.”

    The NEPC trade advisor, however, noted that the major challenges confronting small and medium scale exporters in some parts of the country were the lack of access to finance and lack of access to international market.

  • Organic farming can boost export of non-oil products, says NEPC

    Organic farming can boost export of non-oil products, says NEPC

    An official of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr Macpherson Fred-Ileogben, has said value addition and organic farming are possible strategies that can boost the export of non-oil products.

    Fred-Ileogben, who is NEPC’s Trade Promotion Advisor and Export Assistant in Benin, spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin, yesterday.

    He said these strategies were “necessary to enable Nigerian exporters know how to make their products acceptable in the foreign markets and earn more value for them”.

    According to him, the government is looking at diversifying the country’s resource generation from oil to non-oil products.

    “The government is also promoting the exportation of non-oil products because it is a way to boost foreign exchange earnings, conserve foreign reserve and create jobs.

    “So, exporters and would-be exporters should key into this policy and generate more foreign exchange for the country and in the same vein strengthen the valve of the naira,” he explained.

    The NEPC trade advisor said value chain addition was, therefore, imperative to making Nigeria’s non-oil exports more competitive and acceptable in the international market.

    “On the average, our products are up to standard but we have to do more so that they can compete well at the international market.

    “The country needs to do more in the aspect of infrastructure, such as improving power, processing facilities, access roads and rail transportation to ease conversion of raw materials into semi-finished or finished goods for exportation.

    “This is because most semi-finished or finished products attract more value at the international market than products in their raw forms.

    “If you are taking anything outside the country, we expect that the standard and packaging should be acceptable abroad.

    “If the standard is good, it will earn you good value for your product but if otherwise, it could be rejected. And worse still, the exporter will bear the cost of returning it back to the country,” he said.

    He advised farmers to adopt the emerging international trend in organic farming.

    According to him, this involves more concentration on the use of organic materials, such as manures, crop rotation and planting on the right soil and at the right time.

    “We are encouraging farmers to shift from subsistence farming to commercial farming for purposes of exportation.

    “As they do so, they should also do more of organic farming as the prolong use of inorganic fertilisers has adverse health effects on plants and humans “, he said.

    He, however, noted that the major challenges confronting small and medium scale exporters in some parts of the country were lack of access to finance and the international market.

  • Agric products, others get boost, says SON chief

    Agric products, others get boost, says SON chief

    Nigerian agricultural and allied products now have a major boost in regional and international markets following a  harmonisation of standards exercise by the Africa Regional Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO).

    Thi is coming against the background of calls to make the continent’s agricultural sector competitive at globally.

    At a ARSO General Assembly, Tanzania, the Director-General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Dr. Paul Angya, a member of ARSO, said the next step would be for the nation to prioritise its agricultural sector by making standards available to it.

    This, he said, would prepare our agricultural products to meet the standards stipulated by the association.

    Angya said Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) must realise the importance of standards application to their businesses, saying that the sector also has a vital role to play in ensuring that the nation’s non-oil exports are exportable.

    The SON boss said Nigeria had been applauded for its role in ARSO’s development, adding that the nation’s contributions were in the areas of technical work and policy administration.

    Angya said:  “SMEs must realise the importance of standards’ application to their own personal enterprises, the capacity of standards to improve their productivity and their profits. We have embarked on massive sensitisation and education. We have also engaged in training the SMEs.

    “We have trained them in standards application, management systems and they have realised that application of these standards will improve their overall profit margin. That is why they are coming in groups to join the band wagon of SON.”

    He said SON had discussed with institutions about supporting Shea butter producers and that the agency would inform the SMEs about the approval of the project.

    Also, an expert on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) of the ACP TBT programme of the European Union, Mrs. Idinakide Eva, said the programme was not only for women development, but also for the development and facilitation of trade.

    She noted that the programme had three dimensions, which include supporting quality infrastructure, supporting the private sector and disseminating information to support the development of relevant data uploading on the website of ARSO.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Industries, Ebonyi North, Senator Sam Egwu, said he had been better informed about the SON, urging Nigerians to adhere to standards.

    He said the Senate recently approved a bill to make it mandatory for all government procurements to be locally sourced to conserve the nation’s hard-earned foreign exchange and boost locally made products.

    According to him, there is need to understand the importance of SON as it obtains in other parts of the world.

    Meanwhile, the European Union (EU), through its expert on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) of the ACP TBT programme, has stated plans to equip Nigerian women with the requisite skills and support to boost Shea butter production.

  • Institute targets poverty eradication with Islamic finance products

    Institute targets poverty eradication with Islamic finance products

    The Institute of Islamic Finance Professionals (IIFP) has partnered a  Dubai-based Centre of Islamic Banking and Economics (CIBE) to combat poverty  with varieties of Islamic banking and financing products.

    The two organisations held a One-day Islamic Finance Workshop yesterday at the University of Lagos Mosque Conference Hall, Akoka, Lagos.

    CIBE Managing Director/Chief executive Officer Dr Muhammad Zubair Mughal, said the products were sourced from the Sharia.

    The products, he said, include loan facilities, partnership, equity, mark-up, agricultural development, manufacturing, among others.

    Dr Mughal said the Islamic financing system and products are unique because they are asset-based and designed to benefit all segments of the society; irrespective of religious affiliations.

    He added that the organisations have different unique products for each segment of the society.

    “Islamic finance has dedicated products to address poverty situation.  Islam is the only religion in the world where poverty elimination is a religious obligation,” he said.

    He urged members of the public to see the Islamic financing products as banking products and not religious products, saying “It should be seen as banking products for all; irrespective of your ideology and religious affiliation.”

    Mughar said the products and services are reviewed every year to allow for the inclusion of more packages that will benefit the people’s businesses and the country’s economy.

    IIFP Chairman, Board of Trustees Dr Tajudeen Yusuf said the institutes were out to to promote ethical banking, financing and insurance in order to grow the Nigerian economy.

    According to him, IIFP was licensed to designing banking products, certifying conventional banking professionals and ensuring compliance with the ethics of the industry.

    He enjoined non-Muslims and the conventional banking system operators to stop antagonising the Islamic financing products, saying: “we don’t see ourselves as substitutes. We see ourselves as alternative to the conventional system. We are not out to destroy the conventional system, rather we want to entertain a healthy rivalry.

    “We have come as an alternative to compliment the efforts of the present government in terms of fighting economic crimes and stabilising the economy.”

    Dr Yususf added that the two institutions (IIFP and CIBE) are also targeting financial inclusion, noting that less than 30 per cent of Nigerians are currently financially included.

  • Fed Govt supports steel products export

    Fed Govt supports steel products export

    The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has restated the government’s support for steel companies to enable them meet  local demand and export their products.

    Dr Feyemi spoke during facility tours of the African Foundries Limited (AFL) in Ogijo Local Government Area in Ogun State, and Western Metal Products Company Limited (WEMPCO) on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

    The minister said  issues that inhibited export of steel products would be looked into with a view to subjecting them to a review that would be acceptable and beneficial to both the government and investors.

    “We will review all options and determine which one is more beneficial to government and the investors,” the minister said.

    He added that the government was determined to create the conducive environment and provide incentives to genuine investors, as part of effort to ensure that the sector 5ourish.

    The Chairman of Africa Foundries Limited, P. K. Gupta, said although the group’s investment in Nigeria was over $1b, with over one million tons of steel products from its six steel plants in the  country, the company had had to grapple with the challenges posed by high cost of gas, multiple taxation, bad roads and unnecessary concessions for importation of products whose superior equivalence are produced in locally.

    Gupta said allocating coal blocks to his company and other genuine investors would enable them to provide more jobs opportuni?es to more people as well as assist them to complete the company’s diverse steel  production processes.

    The Managing Director of WEMPCO, Mr Robert Tung, who lauded the government’s commitment to the steel sector, also urged the minister to look into the issue of multiple taxations, among other issues.