.~.
FRlDAY. APRlL I. 2011
Employment rises by 2.9%, weaker than GDP in LDes - Report Ronke Badmus with agency report
study carried out by the International A Labour Organisation has revealed thai between 2000 and 2009. employment in least developed counlries had grown at an annual average
rate of 2.9 per cent. which is slightly above population growth but much weaker than Gross Domestic Product growth. This was revealed in a
statement made available by the ILO on Wednesday in Lagos. The statement also revealed that most of the
Accordingtothestalement, lhe study entitled. "Growth, Employment and Decent Work in the Least Developed Countries," had been prepared for the occasion of the fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries to be held in Istanbul by May. Itexaminedthe relationship between GOP growth . employment and decent work in the LDCs within a longer term perspective but focusing on the last decade. It also addressed a number of key issues in growth and development across the three main regions of Africa. Asia and the Island countries.
and also highlighted the challenges and opportunities for structural changes, job creation and poverty eradication . it ?dded. Comme~ting on the study, the Director-General, ILO, Mr. Juan Somavia, said, "The primary labour market challenge in the Least Developed Countries is not unemployment but the lack of productive employment and decent work for the large numbers of working poor. . "This is the main obstacle to the efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and set the Least Developed Countries on a sustainable development
route."
Somavia also said that the report also showed that growth in the last decade had been high but volatile because it had been based on
exports
of
primary
commodities rather Ihan a diversified production structure. He said, "The massive deficits in public infrastructure, education and skills, constraining a more sustainable and balanced growth strategy." As a result of policy neglect. stagnation of agriculture. weak growth irt manufacturing and failure to diversify, the study said there
had been a weak increase in productive employment, especially for ..women and young people, with a high level of working poverty. vulnerable _ employment, informality ' and -.~'..." low productivity. However. the report said, "Some regions and some countries have done better than others in theirpalterns of growth, investment, reducing
poverty and social protection , among others . A key finding of the report is that what a country
produces
matters
because it enhances learning capabilities that are the basis of productive transformalion a nd productivity growth:'
10 per cent of the total unemployment in 2008 from eight per cent in 2000. The share wage and salary of
workers increased slightly from 14 per cent in 2000 to 18 per cent in 2008. "But the large majority of workers remained trapped in vulnerable forms of employment that cannot lift them above the poverty line," it added.
• L-R: Team Leader, National Programme for Agriculture and Food Security, Prof. Anthony Youdeowei; National Programme Coordinator, Dr. Bukar Tijani; and Financial Control/er, Alhaji Kaasim Abdul/ahi, at the NPAFS Technical Reuiew workshop, in Abuja ... on Wednesday. Photo: NAN.
Abia gets ultimatum over IFAD-assisted BfA State ha s been given up to April 6 to demonstrate com mitment toward the implementation of the Community¡Based Natural
A
Resource Man-agement
Programme or be de¡listed. The CBNRMp, which is rec eivi ng assistance from
the International Fund for Agricultura l Development and the Niger Delta
. a leadership position in
is being implemented across the nine Niger Delta states. according to the News Agency of Nigeria. The IFAD Consultant. Prof. Joseph Yayock, said in Umuahia, that the ultimatum became necessary due to the
esteemed pUblic."
Adegunwa. who stressed the essence of ensuring
quality of goods and services in the country, said thai the compan y embarked upon an
non-payment of counterpart
investment that introduced
He spoke at a meeting with government officials and the nine participating local
the best machinery in the industry. He added that the company was not only in the
'industry to do busiriess but to e nsure that it added value to the Nigerian society while also encouraging nutritional
products. Rite Food. h e added, had been in the business of providing quality sausage role and had also engaged in an intensive research in the past 24 monlhs before it arrived at :;-\.~e fmal products
industry
capacities
and
in
agriculture,
mass
of
job-creating
sustainable
enterprises
the
transition
areas such as employment protection legislation and
Development Commission.
in the country through the provision of quality products at affordable price to our
productive
infrastructure and a critical
market institutions to cover
ensuring that we ma intain the sausage role bus~ss
and
the incomes o f the most vulnerable groups, as well as setting up a range of labour
roll , has unveiled two new
During the inauguration
manufacturing
that are more friendly to job creation and poverty reduction. The study also recommended policies that supported the building of
formal economy, protecting
products
of th e products in Lagos on Thursday, the Managing Director. Mr. Saleem Adegumva, said that this was part of the company's effort at adding value to its customers and the society al large. He said , " We are
to
macroeconomic frameworks
from the informal to the
unveils new
products. The producls are Bigi Spicy Chicken Snack and Bigi Apple snack.
export diversification moving from commodities
encourage
Rite Food
quality snacks in the society. Rite Foods Limited, makers of Bigi a nd Rite Sausage
and
and called for better social protection and innovative public employment programmes targeting vulnerable groups, especially women and yout h. Accordingtothestatement, the report also recommended implementing labour market and social policies that
increase took place in the services sector, with the for industry accounting
part of efforts aimed at A sensuring the availability of
According to the statement, the study was conducted with a list of 20 policy recomme ndations and guidelines, including the need to promote sectoral
progress of the programme in the last three years." The consu lt an t expressed regret that the state government lacked the political will to support the implementation of the programme.
H e noted Ihat the implem en tation of the programme in Abia State had suffered a setback due to the non-payment of counterpart funds by stakeholders since 2008. The consultant said that the purpose of the visit was to determine whether the participating councils still deserved to be in the
He said , "There must be a tangible commitment to show that the local government areas h ave paid th eir counterpart fund on or before
communities would provide
April 6 or the state will be delisted from the programme. "Ordi n arily. n o local
10 per cent of the funding in kind. Responding , the
government area in the
state Commissioner for
state qualifies to be in the IFAD/NDDC projeet because they have slowed down the
Agriculture , Chief Joseph Ogwo, expressed surprise at the poor performance of the
governments.
governments.
an operational agreement to deduct the counterpart fund at source on behalf oi th e participating local governments.
participation and commitment
H e expressed worry that
and we will partner with \FAD. "Our debts will be cleared; the state government will liaise with local government councils in Abia to give the programme a boost." He disclosed that the state government had given
if the state was de-listed from the programme , it would be counter-productive as so many youths were already hopeful of being empowered through the programme. "This will destroy a lot of things for us. We. therefore.
approval for the payment of the 201 0 counterpart fund . The state Programme Officer, Mr. Mark Ezeala , said that there was already
p lead with IFAD/NDDC to have a plan B for us should we fail to meet the deadline for co mplian ce ," Ezeala said.
salary allowing a decent life for their families" , it stated. Somavia, therefore, concluded that the LCDs could draw on a range of experience of policy mixes to drive an agenda of structural transformation and decent work. "Yet, each country must design a mix of policies best fitting national circumstances and priorities. Thesecountries
also need a more supportive external environment driven
by a fairer globalisation and greater .policy coherence, ':
he added. He said the ILO was ready to partner LDCs, donors as well as international and regional organisations in a new era of growth , development and social justice, among others.
Kaduna sets aside N400m as loan to farmer
programme .
According to him , each of the participating local governments is to pay N9.6m, annually, as counterpart fund and urged them to make good the commitment. He further disclosed that IFAD/ NDDC would contribute 22.5 per cent, loca l governments 45 per cent, while the participating
fund by the participating local
state government. o g w 0 sa i d , " T h e government has looked into the programme and from now, there will be increase in
minimum wage . "Minimum wage legislation, in particular. is a proven means to ensure that all workers receive at least a
H E Kaduna State Government has set aside N400m to be disbursed as loans to farmers in the state, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Ramalan Giwa, has said. Giwa spoke on Wednesday in Dgarawa, Sabon-Gar i Local Government Area of the state, while distributing poverty alleviation materials to the people, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
T
Th e commissioner said
that out of the amount, the state government had paid N200m into four banks for onward disbursement to farmers by June.
He advised individual farmers and cooperative societies to avail themselves
of the opportunity to improve their productivity and living standards. Giwa urged the farmers to follow all the necessary protocols to enable them to access the loan. Earlier, Governor Patrick Yakowa said that the essence of disbursing the pove rty alleviation materials was to
improve the living standard of the people of the. state. He said that 30 persons from women and youth organisations were selected
from each wa rd to enjoy
N20.000 support from the state government. The governor also said that non-governm enta l organisations would receive
more than N36m e,ac h for various development
projects. He appea led to the beneficiaries to use the money wise ly and repay as and when due to enable others to benefit. NAN reports that the items distributed at the occasion included sewing and knitting machines, motorcycles, water pumps and hair dressing equipme nt. among others.