Tuesday, June 14, 2011
THIS DAY, Vol. 16, No, 5895, Page 37
BusinessWORLD
industry
SMEDAN,_Film Corporation to Boost Entrepreneurship
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Small mild Medium Enterprises IXvclopment of Nigeria Agellcy (SMEDAN) has signed II fo, lemor,unlum of Undc:rstaodlO& (MoU) with the Nigeria Film Co!pOtlllion (NFC) to boo&l enm:prenellfship in lhe. counuy's movie indusuy. n..: Direclor-Gcneral, SMEDAN, Alhaji Muhammad ~0Jdada Umar. said thaI the terms of Ihc: MoU .......wltl .at1d tremendous vJ.Juc: 10 lhe. nationaJ economy as il)l;ims to create opportunities for small businesses to YQw in the film indllSUJ', especially as ~anb; youth employment. revenue: genc:r.uioo, po\-eny reduction and social Wlbihfy in die C'OUIlilt;
try.
He disclosed this during tho sigrung.ceremOIlYin Abuja and (.-alkd for IJ'IOfe roIlahoouive
"- - - - By Crusoe Omgie efforts wllh SIah': govemmc:nIS, non-go\'CmmcntaJ orgllnisalions and establishments lind S1OIkdlolders to ",'Or\: hard to ensure \lUll results are pmduccd for all 10 sec ''So, at the
end of the day, ....'C ....w ld h/we achicYcd our gtven mandates".
The Director-General said that SMEDAN is ready to suppori NFC with fundin& winoows ava ilable 10 Nigerian emrepreneurs suctJ as the SME Credit Guarantee Scheme intrOduced by the Centr.!l Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the funtl ing scheme of the: National Economic Rcconsuuction Fund (NERFUND). '. He said in the areas of tnun_ iIlg and CIIpacity buikl ing, dc:\'dopmelll ofbuSlness mod-
els for enlrC:JRneurs in the: fi lm sectOf", linking filnHTwk· eN to local und inU:mationai sources of finance, proch';:l competitiveness and rn:ui:el SlIU1danI dc:Yelopment have all been a ltered for in the: MoU. Also speaking at the eYcill, the Managing Direaor of 'the: NFC. Mr Afolabi Adc:sanya said the MoU is a 51ep CX:pecIed 10 make the: industry contribu te sigmficantly to the nation's economic growlh and developmenl. Be said ror the film industry 10 make meaningful CO' lIriootion to t~ overall economic dc\'elopmc:nt of the counuy, emphasis .1JlU$I be placai on · im pacting entT<:pr,meurial skalls on prlICtlllonCtS in the: sector, it pIVotal role for
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St.'lEDAN to play. Adc:sanya nOled that although largely pen:eivcd as an, film 15 aI50 a wsnless capable or gc:nc:l1Iting huge: n::venue, ..... hich could coou\oote to the groMh of the nlltion·s- Gross Domestic Product (GOP), In Ius wonk. ··If the: business poo:ntials offilm lII"C fully hame~d lind atlequD ICly dr!velopcd, \l1C indll5ll)' could bc:comc 00: of the: highest revenuc:-g;:.lIef1lUOg ~0fS of tho:: COJOOITly lIS obmincd 11\ the Uni ted SilIlCS of Amc:nclt und Californ ia." He lamented thai lhe Pbsence of c:t\Irc:prenc:unal and business skills in the Nigerian film indUSif')' have resulted in the: pI",jC(iliollers placing more
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While thanlmg the ·sU1cc:n: effon (lU I in by 1111 stakchoJo.:/'S in tilt ~0I1atioo Wid dr.!ftmg of the MoU. he assumJ thai lhe corpor.ation " "OU1d fully impl.:meUl Ui obhl!:;ruons and ·.·.~lJ :w.!IISMElJANoflhcir\~ plaifoon of iICIlvities throubth which the Agency can lend he
emphasts on the: anistic aspect of film-mak ing III tho:: expense of the buslllCSS aspect of it. .... ltii::h he: said in tWll results 111 the SK1or's inabtlil)' 10 SUStaul the momcnllUU or ¥IO"1h and ~(I,:\'elopmc:.,;,
He expressed ~on fidern:c: th3t with thc: suppen of SMEDAN, thedlaJlenges fOle ing the industry wou ld be grcaJ.ly reduced. -SMEOAN, Wllh its reqllisi~
~u pport .
The NFC Managmg Oiro!Clor was :.ccompamcd to Ihe: C>': remony by Ihe Execu tive Oll"co.... OperallOflj, Mr. To Bcnibo; the H~ or Financc und AccounlS, AJhaji Sanusi Sambo; Ihe Head of Intemational Coopc:ration. " Ir EdfOOflti ~I~; _ thc Head of Public Aff~~ l r Brian EJ.uk , and the Head 01 the NFC AbuJa Liaison OffICe, Mrs Ngo..l Udo,
expcrieocc and cxpo:rtisc
can assi51 with its woous v.'OI'kshops and specific training programmes for practitioners in the sector for us to reap the full benefits of incn:asc:d film production. posI -productiop. distriootion and marketingas Wc li llS film elthibition", he: SlUd.
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SIlAl, ING A Dij A I"
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Chemical Used in Food Containers Listed as Carcinogen
T
he Wtddy used preser-
vative fonnaJdcllyde, and styrene, foun d in food contai ners and l:offc:c. cups, are arnong ~i gh t agollS added to a list of known and suspected carcinogens by Ihe U.S . National Ins tit utes of Health . Aa:ordi ng to Bloombcq; repo n s, fo rmaldehyde, h nked 10 leu kemia :md II rare type of nllSa! cancer. ;s "known to be .. human car· ci nogen." acconli ng to the congressionally m andated repon published today on the heal lh agency's webs ite. S tyrene is calc:gori ud by ~c:rs as -reason· ably anlicipUled" 10 be: can· cer- Cluslng .
The new compo unds bring the total numbc:r of su bstances linked to cancer to 240. Ans tolochic acids. found in herbal produas used to l real anhril is Md goul . were also listed as II known carcinogen because they can alu5e bladder or urin ary- tract cancer in pe0ple wi th kidney d isease, The U.S. Food an d Drug Ad m lDis u:uion cautio ned cons umm against laki ng supplement s containing nrislolochic lIcid in 2001, aa:ord ing to Ihe repl n . "A li sting in the repon does not by itsel f menn that a substance w ill cause cancer." said Jo hn Bucher, associate director o f the Na ti o nal Toxicology Progr.Ull of the National Ins titute: or Enyiro nmen tal Ueahh Sciences In Research Tnangle Park, Nort h Carolina, in a oon· ference cal l wi lh repo rt Cf'.ll . The cancer-causing risk rrom fo rm aldehyde Qnd sty re:m: co mes fro m the prod ucts' wides pread use In industnai ap pliClll.ions and less from th eir pres· ena: in consumer prod ucts , Bucher said. The: repon makes "unfounded classifications" nbo ut fonna lde:hyde: and
sty~ne
that will scare a m-
summ, said C al Dooley. presidem and CEO lhe American C hemis try Counci l , a Was hing to n uade grou p. in a simerom \. Formaldehyde man ufactu rers incl ude Georgia- Paci fi c LLC. based in All am a. The Americ:an Composi te Man ufact urers AssociUfion di sputed the link becwocn slyrene and
or
="', '''The styrene-based com-
posite mlllerial system has been used safely for over 60 years," Ihe Arli ng ton. Vi rg inia.blGCd trade group said in II statemCfl t. The organiUlI io n 's me mbers incl ude Owens C om ing (OC) Inc. of Toledo, Ohio. and Piusbul};h-based PPG Industries Inc. ( PPG) S tyrene is a oo mponenl of the polystyrme used in food and drink contrullmi, as well as the man ufact uring o f plas ti cs, fi berilass, insul mio n , carpel backing and other prod ucts, aa::ord ing to the National Program . Toxicology C igareu e s mokers fllCe hi gher ris ks of exposure than oth ers because the s m o la~ contai ns styrene:. lhe agency said . Consumas don·t need to worry about polys tyrene cu ps and food cont ainers Ihough they shoul d seek versions of prod ucts li ke c:osmdics Ihal. don' t contain fo rmnl dehyd e. said Otis B raw ley. ch ief medial offiCtt of the Atl an tabased American C ancer Socidy. '·1 see no problem with Styrofoam cups ." Brawley said today in a telepho ne interview "If I were usi ng nad polish or nlill polisher mnova. I would Iry 10 gd formal dehyde-free \'m lo ns o f th ose, which are availab le ." The:: rq>on is the 121h issued by tDe U_S . s ioce Ihe National TOXicology Progmrn was estab lis hed in 1978.
FAO Project Combats Desertification in Africa Food and Agriculture: Organisalioo (FAD) pilot project thai has poved II grc:l suro:ss in cornbating d.:sc:rtificalionis IObc: ro!kdout more widely in IlIl auonpt 10 tum African dJylands b3dt into fc:nilc: land. Wilh twO thin1s of the Afiican rontincnt now cbssirled as descn or drylands and dcscttification Ilffccting a quat. tcr of the worid's popula1ion. the brc:I.kthrough h.as the potc:n· tiaJ lOtr:l!Wonn the:lh'eSofvul· fICr.Ibie pop.datioN. 10 ope:r.l-
A
tionSlnce~. Ihe AoJCiapro-
ject has inl'Olvtd the planting and managingof Acacia fOR:SlS in ~ I~ ~~inJ ~
dc:sat from the ~ of Africa ~ion h;u been disappearing. Oimaac change has led 10 pulongcd ~ d droughc. ovcr-intellSlve fanning Ilnd over-grazing have caused land degrodatlOO and dcfon:suuion has turned the: once fertile: land inlo desen_ In an IIliempt 10 ~!hIlI proces.:i of dc5enilication. FAO has ~ in with the Acacia projocL. Fa!oJ Seye IIOd heJ- fl1lluly :ue among the benc:ficiarics. "Befoo: the projc:c;t we had no Utt$. we wen:: cuiti \':uing dc:gmded, infenile lands. bul with the: project that hIlS d'langcd •• she: s:ays,
offICer, Nora Ilenahmouni. "Acaciu offers many benefits. They feat !he soil by capturing ni~ that ralOrCS fertility. Jt asasbebo- forcrop.. lt alsop-ovides gumAnilic. whICh ha:i an uUem/ltional ll'larkel.and so il is good for theoronomy Noc only that but it is also II 5OUt'CC of foddc:r for li~ and food for local ronununities." F:atou confinns thaI the Acada have aiRady dnun:uj· cally improved living condiUons "bc:cause now we're produang hibiscus juICe and millet. pc:anuu and beans. which .....e can cat. ProdocIion of fodder for IiVCSlOCk has i~ ~nhweu:u the '~atmark.:1:
VuJdafriquc:. Dr. Matlia¥JIC Salho. says 'the: Arabic gum industry is greal business because !he gum is in demand from many indusoic:s, iocIudmg the phannaccutic:al IUld food industri.:s "~ it's used in a wide vandy of prodIKu langulg frum bakery and d;wy produos 10 soft drints." Alxording to Thiam Sakhoudia of the Ndwork for Gum Al1Iblc and Resin
I1wr and ~."
benefited from the: Ac:acill projoct in SellCgal so far and tho: proJCCI is aJ"" m operation 111 fi\"C rMre c:owuries :ICJOSS the region. B:csoJ on ilS ~, FAD is..,.... UI :.c:ud! of fuoo1001IO roll theAcaciaproject out 00 II witIc:r:;cale 10 re-grc:cn 0"I0f"C of the land bordering Iho: SaltJr".! dcsc:n_If ~r 1he illl1iathe wi ll keep the ~ ~ at and help pruvllle protectJon <If the millions of \'lIIIlCr.w1e p.:opk ]i\'mg within Aiiica's dl)'1~nJs
~'iOClalions (NGARA), ' g.n:aI
poIcntial (.lists to provide: income for these: communillo:S wid also 10 hc:lp dhwfy II'.;:
economy bo..'aUSC these days the peanut market is in crisis so the gum Ambic 5CC1Of"~ IIClp
~~··~~-~:-~~v'il~~"-'nIai·IO&J~~=_II)3~:1~~,~ ha\"e local oolllnwrutics. FalOU $eye , her husband IIOd their six children live in the vii· bgc of l"hiB:c:nc Ndiaye III Scoc:gaI's O'ylands. Now 50 yo::us old. FnIOU n::members ~ diffe:lt:J1I the lomd looked during her own chi klhood . "When I WItS young , Ihl: land was SO much g.recoa- with II iTJJCh grodCf" diversify of pl:ant species." ~ recalls. Hoe,as lll ~oftheSah!:1
• the: 5CKXJ.kilorncm belt uf llnd that divides the: Sahara
fmm !he projCct, From 2004 10 2007, FAD, in partnerShip wilh !he SctICglllclc: fort:Stry set"Vicc: , pnn-idcd seeds and Sttdlinp IIfIlI taughl 11M;: "''OfJICII in the viIlage: how to sow and plant the Ac:ar:i:l1fee51lS \I'dl as how 10 exlr.lCl.and mnr\.:eIthe:8um they produce.
In the bsI~. the o-ees haw: finally n:achcd m:uurity and gum. exlr.lCtion has become possible. But .e\'01 before the local communuy benefited. According 10 FAD Fon:stry
. Harvestll'lg of the cum Itself hasonly jus! begunas.at 7 years if ~. the plants arc: only just marurc enough. In ~ COIl~g ye;an: the planlS \110 provide further income for these women 1bc: gum is.soLd \ 'Ii< in~nTII:Wanes 10 the Vakbfrique ~ cessing plaru d ost' 10 .xnc:gaJ'i e:tpltaI.OabIr. From thete iI .....iI\ be sold on inu::rttattoo;Il markl::1S. . The: Cltief ph3rnwcisl:1I
bar.