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Tag: (UNIDO

  • UNIDO, SON implement 12m euro NQI project

    UNIDO, SON implement 12m euro NQI project

    The representative of United Nations Development Organisation (UNIDO), Mr. Shaukat Malik,  has said both Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and  UNIDO have started the implementation of the National Quality Infrastructure(NQI) for Nigeria project, worth 12million euro.

    He spoke at the World Metrology day with the theme: “Measurement in National Development” organised by SON in Lagos.

    The project, which is to be funded by the European Union (EU), is aimed at  supporting  the improvement of standards and quality control agencies in order to advance the quality of products and services.

    Malik said the project is to boost the competitiveness of the country’s private sector and ensure the protection of its consumers.

    “We recognised that the increasing importance of metrology within globalised markets puts more emphasis on the link between costs and quality, quantity and trade,” he said.

    The UNIDO Representative noted that without the use of metrology, the simplest of transactions may be open to abuse as it then becomes difficult to regulate trade.

    Malik explained that the UNIDO through its NQI project, will take up the reins to finalise strategic activities to support the metrology towards international recognition.

    Director-General, SON, Dr  Joseph Odumodu, said the establishment of the national metrology institute will help the country to boost her export base by providing the required confidence and reliability in the export goods.

    According to Odumodu, the establishment of the institute will eliminate the incidence of inaccurate and short measures in trade, manufacturing,  export and import activities in the country

    He said apart from ensuring improved health standard of the citizenry, it will also ensure safe environment by providing accuracy in measurements.

    His words: “Metrology, which is the science of measurements, is key to achieving 30 Gross Domestic Product for the manufacturing sector.

     

    He further said without metrology lives, would certainly be cut short, stressing that proper measurements will help reduce imprecision dominant in the health sector.

     

  • UNIDO, Armani partner Delta govt

    Delta State government is set to kick-start a manufacturing and skills acquisition project in Issele-Uku, headquarters of Aniocha North Local Government Area.

    Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, who spoke on Wednesday, said many foreign investors had indicated interest in the multibillion naira factory in Issele-Uku. He assured that the state’s drive for industrialisation was on course.

    Uduaghan, who led members of the State Executive Council to inspect the progress of work in the factory, said: “You have seen a lot of machines that will be used in the production of leather works and akwu-ocha, these will be used for both training and production of leather works, our products will be used both locally and internationally as a lot of local and foreign investors have indicated interest in the products from this factory/centre.”

    The governor revealed that reputable English footwear manufacturer, Clark of England, international fashion designer Giorgio Armani, FIIRO, M.I.T, Massachusetts, Cambridge University were among some of those who want to use the products and partner with the state government on the project.

    Uduaghan disclosed that the Delta State government provided the funds for the project while UNIDO is providing the technical expertise, including the construction.

    He described the project as one of the gains of the ‘Delta Beyond Oil’ initiative, which he added would enable some of the beneficiaries of the state Micro Credit Scheme to become small and medium entrepreneurs.

    The governor  endorsed the production of agro products like garri as part of the factory, stressing that it would solve some of the challenges faced by farmers in the state. “The centre will bridge the gap between the farmer and the end-users as it will take care of the excess supply, encourage price stability and more production to take care of the factory export needs”.

    He said: “This training institution is part of the achievements in the area of Delta Beyond Oil, a lot of entrepreneurs will be trained here and we call on the youths to always protect projects in their areas.”

    Allaying fear about the sustainability of the project, he assured Deltans that “there is an agency backed by law which is overseeing the programme to ensure its sustainability and if anything, the incoming administration of Dr Okowa (Governor-elect) will improve on it.

  • ‘Gender equality, women’s empowerment crucial to UNIDO’

    ‘Gender equality, women’s empowerment crucial to UNIDO’

    Gender equality and women empowerment are crucial to the the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the Director-General,  LI Yong, has said

    Yong, who gave an address titled: “Advancing Gender Equality, Empowerment of Women and Girls for a Transformative post-2015 Development Agenda”, to markthe International Women’s Day.

    “Empowering women is empowering humanity. Gender equality and women’s empowerment is central to UNIDO’s work as it is not only a matter of human rights, but also a precondition for sustainable development and economic growth, which are drivers of poverty reduction and social integration.

    He said when women and men are equal, economies grow faster, more people are lifted out of poverty and the overall well-being of societies is enhanced. “Central to UNIDO’s mission of inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) is the urgent need to harness the economic potential of women–half of the world’s population. Women are powerful drivers of ISID and their role is poised to become even greater in the future,” he said.

    Yong said women and girls make up 70 per cent of the world’s extreme poor, adding that out that, the majority lives in rural areas where communities are resource-poor and isolated, and most subsist on small-scale productive activities.

    “UNIDO helps develop competitive agro-industries in order to create jobs and sustainable livelihoods for the rural poor. By providing technical assistance, UNIDO aims to strengthen agro-industrial capabilities and linkages to facilitate economic transformation in rural communities, particularly among women and youth.

    “For example, UNIDO provides rural women and men equal access to new agro-technologies and skills upgrading. Assistance is also provided for process optimisation, compliance with quality and environmental standards, and the identification of market opportunities,” he said.

    Yong said in addition to maximising entrepreneurial and economic opportunities for rural women, UNIDO targets sectors with a high potential for wealth creation, food security or export promotion.

  • ‘Nigeria needs quality food accreditation’

    ‘Nigeria needs quality food accreditation’

    Nigeria needs a robust national food accreditation  system if she must produce  food products that meet international quality standards.

    United Nations  Industrial Development (UNIDO) Representative and Regional Director, Dr. Patrick Kormawa   spoke during  the Proficiency Testing seminar  in Lagos.

    He said in both the public and the private sectors and  analytical laboratories would  ensure   safety is given priority.

    Kormawa,who spoke through Lead expert in Accreditation,Mr Stephen Cross,  said Nigeria  needs  quality laboratories to carry out various analyses.

    He explained  that  the  National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) for Nigeria Project is a 12 million Euro Project and part of the collaborative initiatives the European Union, UNIDO and the Federal Government to stimulate the competitiveness of Nigeria.

    The  goal, according  to him,  is to prepare Nigeria for an economic future that is built on a platform of inclusive and sustainable industrial development.

    His words: “Nigeria is fast shedding its reputation as a mono-product economy and, in line with recent economic policies of the Federal Government, more sectors have been identified that exhibit Nigeria’s comparative advantage. The Food and Beverage industry is clearly a strong leader in this category. I am pleased to inform you that today’s event prepares us to achieve one of the five objectives of the NQI Project – the Establishment of a National Accreditation Body.”

    Kormawasaid  the   NQI Project aims to support the improvement and establishment of standards and quality control agencies in order to advance the quality of products and services exchanged in the Nigerian and international markets – the goal is to improve the competitiveness of Nigeria’s private sector and ensure the protection of its consumers.

  • ITF, UNIDO partner on skills gap’s survey

    ITF, UNIDO partner on skills gap’s survey

    The Industrial Training Fund (ITF), in partnership with United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) has commenced a National Industrial Skills gap assessment survey to identify the mismatch between the skills of available workers and skills demand in the industrial sector.

    The Director-General, ITF,  Dr.  Juliet Chukkas Oneako who spoke during the launch of the National Industrial Skills Gap Assessment Survey in Abuja, assured that skills development has become top priority of the government.

    She said: “As a nation,  we are aware of the present and future skills needs in industries and most importantly, we  understand the latest employment trends. Without this knowledge,  the skills produced by institutions will not meet the needs of the industries and the desire for an inclusive sustainable economic growth will be stunted.

    “The survey will be conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in line with the important industrial sectors identified in the National Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP). The survey is expected to be upgraded every five years by the ITF and the NBS.

    “Data from the skills gap assessment survey will serve as baseline for developing strategies and appropriate intervention measures to address existing gaps.”

    The DG said the development of relevant industrial skills has remained the most critical issues facing the country  today.

    Onaeko said: “The current paradox in Nigeria, where on the one hand many youths are unable to find jobs, while on the other, industries claim they have jobs available but cannot find people with requisite skills must be solved.

    “It is against this background that the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment developed the NIRP to rapidly build up industrial capacity, and improve competiveness in Nigeria.”

  • UNIDO: Unemployment still rising

    UNIDO: Unemployment still rising

    • FDI stands at $6.7b

    The Representative and Regional Director,  United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Dr. Patrick Kormawa, said the volume of investment flow into the country between last year and this year has hit $6.7 billion.

    He lamented that in spite of this, unemployment gap kept increasing, adding that women were worst hit by the problem.

    He said: “We are all aware that Nigeria has been growing at about seven per cent per annum over the past 10 years, but despite the growth, unemployment has been on the rise. Certain sectors of the economy are still importing labour from outside the country, yet  we have people crying for job but when people come to the job market, they don’t meet up to the standard.”

    He noted that in 2011, the unemployment rate as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) was 23.90 per cent from 5.30 per cent in 2006, while the National Population Commission (NPC) said about half of  those seeking employment was made up of youths, defined as individuals between 15 and 34, regretting that as the youth population grows so does the unemployment rate.

    He said: “In terms of gender, available statistics show that the majority of unemployed youth are women.   They accounted for more than 50 per cent of the unemployed.

    “One of the reasons for rising unemployment is the mismatch between available skills and the needs of the labour market.

    “Another reason was the inadequacy of the educational curricular to adapt quickly to changing industrial needs, while attitude to work and lack of entrepreneurial acumen are other factors.”

  • FG, UNIDO skill training survey ready January

    To make graduates in Nigeria employable after school, the Federal Government and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO ) have commenced a  national survey to be completed in January, 2015.

    This was disclosed by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the inaugural meeting of the Presidential Jobs Board headed by Vice President Namadi Sambo.

    He said that there was nothing on ground over the years to make graduates coming out from the universities relevant to the economy.

    According to him, the survey will be used by training institutions including Industrial Training Fund (ITF) towards training people to work immediately.

    “Given where I seat in government, everywhere I go, there is jobs, many jobs but the level of unemployment is high and the gap between jobs and unemployment is skills. So that is a critical factor and that is why there is a pillar dedicated to that.

    “And that is why for the first time in this country we have begun a national job surveys of skills gap for the country. So that by sectors we will know what the gap is and  know what it is required to fill that gap. We are not just looking at the existing gaps today, we are looking at where the investments are going to, we are looking at the next five to ten years.

    “For instance a lot of investments are going to automobile,  we have automobile engineers, how many will we need in the next five to ten years. A lot of investments is going to sugar, do we have the skills to do that, how many will we need in the next three, five, ten years. About N16 billion is going to petrochemicals, fertilizer, and methanol, we will need skilled players.

    “A lot of investments is going to metals, iron ore and all that. Most of these positions at the moment in this country are not filled and if they are filled they are filled by foreigners. We do not have anything to ensure that our graduates coming our from the universities are very relevant to the economy today.

    “So for the first time in this country we have embarked on that national survey  with UNIDO and that survey will be ready in January. That survey will be used by training institutions like Industrial Training a Fund (ITF) to ensure people are trained. But not just train but train to work immediately,” Aganga said

    He noted that similar method is being used in Brazil to train two million people and 90 per cent of them gets jobs within three months.

    “So this is a fundamental part of the job of this board for example. It will be used by the ITF alone, it will be used by ministry of education because we want to start looking at our syllabus in secondary school, to polytechnics, to our universities. For instance when we started automobile industry, we had to work with the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) to make sure our universities have the right curriculum for our automotive engineers and today four universities have now started doing that. So this is training for the future,” he added

    Continuing, he said: “So it will be used by the private sector also because of the gap we have in the country job creation initiative it is important that the private sector also key into it. So we will be encouraging the private sector to set up skills training institutions, let them compete with government, let the employers employ the best that way you will get the best.”

    “So there is guidelines set up to make sure that the private sector is able to key in. So for me I am excited about what is about to happen and that report will be ready by the end of January 2015.” He stated

    He said that the meeting discussed how to fulfill President Goodluck Jonathan’s aspiration to create 3 million jobs annually.

    He said: “It is the first time the private and public sector will be made to seat in a board to create jobs. The inaugural meeting was well attended by the private and public sector.”

    “We identified a lot of quick wins and how we will implement them. How we will realize these goals within the shortest possible time.”

    “So today’s meeting was about having the right governance structure in place, we have sustainability in the whole programme, that there is no reversal in policy, and that the secretariat is properly staffed with the private and public sector.”

    “The sectoral leaders that are here are now submitting all major projects where there can be significant job creation and the sectors of course include ICT, housing, micro and medium enterprises, housing infrastructure and professional skills and of course the urgency to deliver as quickly as possible.”

    “There will be a follow up meeting within the next three weeks where all these key decisions will be made and communicated to Nigerians.” He said

    Speaking at the briefing, Tony Elumelu said that job creation is both important to the government and the private sector.

    “That is why we are all committed to it and that is why as the Minister of Trade and Investment has said, we are having another meeting in two or three weeks time. We will not be sacrificing or devoting this more time to a project that we did not believe in.”

    “We believe in dignity of labour. We think that Nigerians deserve to be employed and we are happy that we are working with the Federal Government led by the president, the vice president, the minister of trade and investment and his team, making sure that this comes through. We believe that we will deliver on this and Nigerians will be happy for it at the end of the day,” Elumelu said

  • Nigeria’s FDI flow hits $6.7b

    Nigeria’s FDI flow hits $6.7b

    • ‘Unemployment rises’

    The Representative and Regional Director, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation  (UNIDO), Dr. Patrick Kormawa yesterday said between last year and this year, investment flow into the country hit $6.7billion mark.

    He lamented that in spite of this, unemployment gap kept increasing, adding women were worst hit by the scourge.

    Kormawa who spoke during the inauguration of the project advisory group for Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and UNIDO project on National Industrial Skills Gap study in Abuja,  said  the meeting is part of a large study which ITF under the Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment is conducting.

    He said:  “We are all aware that Nigeria has been growing at about seven per cent per annum over (the past) 10 years,  but despite the growth, unemployment has been on the rise. Certain sectors of the economy are still importing labour from outside the country, yet  we have people crying for job but when people come to the job market, they don’t meet up to the standard.

    “In 2011 the unemployment rate as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics in Nigeria was 23.90 per cent from 5.30 per cent in 2006. The National Population Commission states that about half of the population is made up of youths, defined as individuals between 15-34 years of age. Unfortunately as the youth population grow so does the unemployment rate.

    “In terms of gender,  available statistics show that majority of unemployed youth are female.  Women accounted for more than 50 per cent of the unemployed. “One of the reasons for rising unemployment is the mismatch between available skills and the needs of the labour market in general.

    “Another is the inadequacy of the educational curricular to adapt quickly to changing industrial needs, while attitude to work and lack of entrepreneurial acumen are other factors.”

  • NEPC,UNIDO seek new areas in non-oil sector

    Few areas for development and promotion of the non-oil export sector are being explored by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).

    The Executive Director/CEO of NEPC, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo made this known at a meeting with the Country Representative of UNIDO in Nigeria, Dr. Patrick Kormawa.

    He said: “The Council has collaborated with UNIDO over the years in areas of human capital development with the establishment of leather and leather products Common Facility Centre (CFC), at Aba Abia State, Kano CFC on textiles and the Human Capital Development Centre (HCDC) also known as the AGOA Training School, Ikoyi, Lagos.

    “The Council has prioritised some products for export as part of its effort to stimulate export culture among Nigerians, with future plans to establish a world class export training institute.

    “Concerted effort is being made by NEPC to shift focus from post to pre-shipment incentive with the re-introduction of the Export Development Fund (EDF) which is targeted at promoting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) exporters.”

    Speaking, UNIDO representative, Dr. Kormawa confirmed that there was need to first build strong export culture within the ECOWAS sub-region before launching out to other regions, stressing that the development of a national policy that would ensure acceptable international quality standards for exportable products was of paramount importance.

    Kormawa said for the country to actualise the objectives of the National Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) all stakeholders in the non-oil export sector as well as relevant Government Agencies in the sector should own and drive the plan.

    Towards this end, he said UNIDO was willing to partner with relevant agencies and identified stakeholders in proffering strategies that would help in achieving the goals and objectives of the NIRP.

  • Nigeria gets EU, UNIDO’s N2.5b for standardisation

    Nigeria gets EU, UNIDO’s N2.5b for standardisation

    The European Union (EU), through the  United Nations Industrial Development (UNIDO), has made available 12 million euros (about N2.5billion) for the establishment of National Accreditation System in Nigeria, Country and West Africa Director, UNIDO, Dr. Patrick Kormawa has said.

    Kormawa said the private sector has identified some problems and has shown its willingness to work with UNIDO, the EU and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment so as to increase the competitiveness of locally made products at the international market place.

    He said the organisation has agreed to use five mechanisms which will build the capacity of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) so that it can create awareness for the consumer to ask for quality products.

    He said: “It is one thing to produce a quality product but if the consumers  do not know the difference between high quality and low quality products, they will not demand for it. The consultation with the OPS (organised private sector) within the national quality infrastructure project is an EU-funded project but implemented by UNIDO with the support of the Federal Ministry of  Industry Trade and Investment.

    “The project has the objective of improving the quality of products made in Nigeria so that they can be sold internally and in international market.”

    “The timeframe for this project is four years and we have already started; we are now half a year into the programme and a lot of consultations have been taking place both within the public and private sector. You cannot improve on your GDP )gross domestic product) if you do not produce products in Nigeria and sell them in the international market. We also will not provide the needed jobs in this country if we are not able to manufacture products here and trade them in the international or regional market.”

    Kormawa said it is hoped were that the initiative will produce legislation that will contain a national quality policy, establish an internationally recognised National Accreditation Body that will vet the activities of regulatory agencies such as the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the National Agency for Foods, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

    He said it will help develop a National Metrology Institute to ensure that instruments are of international standards, improve the capacity of the OPS to conform to standards as well as establish conformity assessment bodies. It will also enhance the powers of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and other consumer organisations to sensitise consumers on quality standards as well as ensure improved consumer protection.

    “But for us to be able to trade, we need to at least meet basic quality requirements; most of the products that are made in this country are rejected because they do not meet certain basic quality requirements,” Kormawa said.

    National Accreditation System is a body that is competent to carry out specific tasks in terms of the accreditation for conformity assessment, calibration and good laboratory practice.