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T H E NATION TIIURSDA Y, APRIL 12, 2012
INDUSTRY
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Fed Govt targets $350m from sugar production HE ~ Govemme:nl hall concluded work on I NaliofHl1 Sugilr Master Plan INSMp) that would save S350 million (N58,6 billion) in foreign elCchange from local produclJon of sugar It 1! schedu ed to comml!N:e bv 2{)15. 'Disclosmg 11m in Abu/-a at the first bi-annu.1 .semiruu or journal~ts, Minislt!r (Of TrJlde and Investmenl, Dr Dlu~gun Aganga, said the NSMP will ensure an 1111nU1L1 basis of l,m,()(X) tonnes of sugar, adding that thl5 will a150 re'luit in the aealJon of Jobs He: saki: "'In the ca.5C! of sugar, I am glad to lofom, you Ihlll with
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Storl" by TotHo "vboota the proyen potential for wealth c reation and high employmenl genert'ltion in the sugar industry, a Nigerian Sugllr t.la5ler Plan, (NSMP). has been produced which provide! ~ roadlnap for at least 100 per cent local production in lIugar 1.5 of today, Nigeria produc:e!i only llbout two per emt of the sugar it consumes. "'The: NSMP will eMure: an IInnual bllsis 10cIII production of 1,797,000 lannes of sugar; 161.2 million liues of ethanol. 4.oooMW of electricity. 1.6 million lonne5 of animal feflls, 37,378 permanent
jobs lind 79,803 seasonal jobs~. he 501id Speaking on efforts of the mlnISIr}' to boosl trade lind investment, he uid the m.inislry has commenced meil.5Urf!S 10 formu-
late i!I new Induslrial policy that would provide ~ framework for fllSl-tr.llck.ing the country's industrial revolulion and attrncbng investment Inlo the critical !!edon of the economy. especially where the (,,"uniTY hilS competllive and comparative advantage -nte policy will look ill 5~fic intervention! in the art'''' of Lnd~ tnal infraslruclure development. Innovation ilnd tedmology. Im-
provemenl of th .. bWHne5$ erwironmenl through ratIonalisation lind simpliflcilhon of bUSiness regulations. development of appropriate technologiC!'. espedillly green lechnologl~ Tor s~tainabre development, il5 well _a s a shuctured and institutionalised industrial skills development programme that Will rroviile jobs for our leemmg youth~_ "This industrilli revolution is aimed at reviving iUld tl1lJ\Sfonning the manufacturing sector into a aynamlc and vinle sector with the capacity 10 conlnbule OIl least dght perce'lt to the country'sGDP by 2015 as Igainstlls contribution
of 4..5 per rent. To thlS, the min~ try will focus on areas where the country has rom~ratlve and competitive: advantage," Aganga said. Agan~a also dlsclose:li that witfiin die firsl quartl!1" of thlS year, the Corporate Affair5 Commission (CAC). which 15 unde:r the mlf1I'1lry, has rt'!KIstere:d 16,4n com~, 15,045bwtMS5 name, Ind 1,378 inco~ted troste:ss " We: Me widmmg the: scope of CAC's online system to e:nable: il perform optimally We: are also slrenthening the one-Slop-investment-Ce:ntre al the NIPC to ensure thai tht"y deliver 48 hour se:rvice: to III investors," Aglnga said.
Investments in trade zones .hit Nl.3tr, says NEPZA
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HE Fedenl Government has put the total Investments in the 25 Free Trade Zones
(FTZs) acJ'(II55 the country al $lJ.6 billion (about N2.2 trillion), ~'en as !IQfIle of them nre yet to attntct investors. This was dhdo:!:ed by the Man-aging Director of Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authorit}' (NEPZA). Dr_ Ad..'Sina Agbol"*fie said while Onne Oil and. Gas Free Trade ZORl' has attracted .bout $5.3 billion investments. other FT7.s got $83 billion. Agbolua]f'.. who <;poke at the FTZ Nigeria 2012 conk-nonce in Lagos. saiCl private sectur op!fiItOB ac-
count for III per a'll! of the 0perations in Ihe FTZs.. He listed Cal.bllr and Kano FTZs as the only 7011e5, which ~ partly-owned bY the ~L Attording to Min" Ifle FTZs offer many 5OlIJ'lES of r;:I" materials lOr investors in 6eJds r-udt as agri-prore55ing, dothlog and textiles, food and beVenlges. fllrcstry, mining and phannaceuticals. as weu as opportunities tn OJllunertr, I'l!tail, housin~ and
tounsm.
He said the govemment is in the ~of mo-ie\\iJlg the Ad which established the NEPZs.. "We an! workif\g towards reviewing the Act. which established the FTZs. The Act established ~rt Pwccssing Zones, but now II has d'anged 10 FTZs. In order to maJce it !>wtabJe: to the
new environment "c have a pro-
JXRd bill before the
National ru. ~bly, torevtew tlw-law", h:!sakl He said thr Fl"ZI ,Ire apable of employing over 4(0, XlI to 5OO,oco
people.
J\Ccordjng to him. the refUITI5 to government in terms of dulies 5tand al over NL50 billion. " Us only Kana and Calabar FIZs lhat Me partly owred by !he federal Government, while olhers are owned by private investors, in collaboration with the stile governments. .. The go\'ernme:nt has liberalised the o~tions to encourage private sector partidpalion in the FTZs ," Agbolua;e said FIZs have cre-
aled employment
~rlunities,
with the concommltant human caP,ltill development beoclits. In addition, Nigeria 'S FTZ regulatory regime Is liberal and rOvides II corKI.udve e:nvironmenl or profitable operations. "The incentives available are: among the most attractive in Africa arid compare favourably with those in other pans eM the world.. -rhese include exemption from all federal, st.lte and loCal government taxes, levies and rates," he 5lated, The Executive Secretary, Afrimn Free Trade Zones As5odation, Ouis NdJ.be. praised the initiative of the organisefs of the forum, say~ ing the Federal Government has assured thai aU ~Ijcies for the F17.s' operntions will be reviewed to atbact investOfS. He said the forum would addre511 the challenges confronting the FTZs and also give avetue (or operators and in\'estors to share ideas. opinions and address grey areas in the operab0n5 of the lnufe
- From I.,ft: Agraw.l. Okoro, M.n;>ging Dire.dor ICEO, ubrg., Cement WAPCO NiSu1;> Pic, Mr Joe Hudson ;>nd Ach u.k wu .1 th~ m~ling .
f.
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CMAN seeks measures to curb cement adulteration HE Cemenl Manufacturer5 Auocilliion of Nigeria (CMAN) " ....... ""~ to rumbat adulteration Ol remenl 10 ~uard the: live! and prope:rties of N EIIns_ . at • ~y meeting 01 T . ~ttee on Ct'rMRt al the Elephllnt H()U5iII!: in lAgos, the Coordinator/Moderator of the Standard Ontarusauon of Nigerill (SCtN) and CMi\N Tedmical Committee on Cement, Mr Charles Okoro, laid "'Eradicating adullenllion totally 15 nne of the main agt:ndas of the ItochnK:al meetinl) .. He said acb\llbe!; of those adullftating Q'Il1elli had m:hxm to the barfSt riunImum beauJseat"Tl'5t5 of"per-
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pebalnr5 h.lv~
been gomg «I which
has made it very hard for adwler·
01100 CHllI'Iltlo dmyp III Ihe IllilI"ilrl... CMAN Technical Committe(' Chairman and Oil1!Clor of Marbling. Unicem, MrVipuJ Agrawal. sUd the group _ capable C( supplying the needed ~I In Ihe country I-Ie said there _ the need to expilnd the \J5e of cement In other areas of the economy and al!o to enlighten the public on the various
t~;;~~1'!ld of the: meeting thefe will be: I collaboration between SON and CMAI'- VI order 10 come up with ~tsand ideas that will boait thecmtent lJ1(lustry in Ihe country"
SON Director-Gen~ral, r~pr~5eJlted by Mr john Achukwu, said manufacturers don'l fftI romflJlUbJe: with regwatory bodies bul SON is not a regulatory body bulastandard body lOr the sliindMdisation of prod-
"'" said the te:chniGlll committee H~
was fonnt."d prinopaUy 10 look into I5!lUes thllt would ennllflO!': cem~nl manufacturing companies and also cany researd\e5 in otder 10 come up witn reocommendaliOf15 that wOlJld be:nefil the indU51fy and the country atl~
He id~ CORSlII1If'B Io~ ceme:nl .1 varioll! accrechted dl.5tnbutOlS or ronlaCl depots In order 10 mab supply cheaper
Group issues licences to practising members ilE lnsblute of Ch;.rtel.'d Se:cretanes Assoctal1<ln of Ni eri. (ICSAN) h;\5 wued ~i ~ to practicing chllrtered ~ laries and adminlsbtofS_ lIS I'residmt, Mr Olatunde 8u5ari said, this wa5 I form of m1ificabon and e:ndorsement of th~ sterling qualities e:xpedfd of all our Cfttified
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Busari, who spoke .t • one-day workshop to mark the l'§SUaJlCe of practi« r~ to chartered ~ lMies and lldmudstratOfS, said profC5l.'lion5such as the NIP"!"'a Ba:r rutJo. dation (N8AI, Nigena Medical ..... sociation (l\o'MA) and Nigeria Sodety for Engineen INSE). among olher5. ~~rncbcIt licenceoI or a fmm of tarim 10 lhm ~ to en;able them practice: their ~ He said it II'INf1.'I those: profel!KJl\ll bodie5 had been found fit and proper 10 practit% in theu field!' Busan said othrr profe5l5ions m0tivated ICSAN 10 take strys to ini· tiate a proce5l!l of IS5Umg I~ to mem~ in hne with her enabling
By W,,1e AdepoJu law. IhiII is, lCSAN Dlecr"eeof 1991 , whlch is why we held Ih.. woricshop to update knowledge of the fir5t set of lfcensed corporate goveman«> pntetitionmi (LeGr), M said.. He advi5ed membns to demonstn:te high degree: of professiOflaJism, horie§ty and lransparency in their proft'59Oll as worthy ambas6adon of the institute: N
r!:1=~~%r~
wiD be withdrawn . ......our hcerl5e rs "pnvilege. not. righl.lt can bewithdrawn or car"lCl!.Uea for pmvm allegation of any profe5llional mi5conallCl,., guide .gair6t it,· he said He ur\ied members and fums of charter-eG ~ to dentify with Ihe: scheme 10 bring about much chari~ in the private ind public practiC'!' Of chartt!i-ed !ICOt'Iitnes. Busari SilJd it was time to lake proactive ~ regarding the task! of nation bUilding staring professionals in the f.Itt.