Tuesday, November 22, 20ll
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THIS DAY, Vol. 16 No.
60S6, . ~age
31
news
BusinessWORLD
FG to Establish Invesbnent Councils with 6 Developed Countries "k: FedemJ Gm'aruncm has said that it has concluded plans [0 est:lblish Trade and Inl'e5tmem Councils with six OOYaIll'l!(! countries across the \\'arld. This. gO\"elrunenl disclosed, ,was pan of renewed effons 10 ~ake Nigeria Ihe preferred investmenl nnd Ill3Il.ufacturing hub of sub-Saharnn J\frica. 1b:: Minister of Trade and lnvestmem, Olu~gun Aganga, disclosed !his III ~ weekend during the Ri'l('r5 Siale Inveslo~' Forum tagged 'Change: TImI Work!;: He said dun the FJe\\' initia· tl\'e would act as a vehicle to channel big, lr.l11.!:ronnative
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Siories b)' CnlSoe Osagie in\-estments into Nigeria and stmlgtlv::n the country's balance of payment posiLion in the global market place. He said, "1'0 enlumr:e the Ic\"C1 and quality of foreign dim;t inVCS1IllC:nt. we have created trade and investment de;ks in Nigeria's main embassies across the globe:. We have a1so agr«d with the ~Ie vam authorities [0 make il p0ssible for genuine investors [0 get mulLi ple entry visas in their
ILO Shuns NLC Programme over Insecurity
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~ II~~ REI.ATIONS eprc:sc:ntllLives In tanational
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of the Labour
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Harmattan sChool programme by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), citing i.ltsc:cwity in the country. NLC ~siden[, Abdulwahoed Omar. who gave the hint in Kadunu , bLnnlCd the Fedc:raI GoYc:mmcn! over the wo,~ning security crisis in the counlry espedall) in the NOIthem repon. He explain~ th':l1 the lLO rqnsenrati\~ and participants from other Cl)lUltriCS had earlier infomlCd the Con~>s that they w~ still awniting the security clearance fmm the United States or America before they could attend .[he client. Omar explained that foreign participanl5 had ciled the n::cenl bombing in Maidugu ri and other Northern stales as reasons ror thcir failure to show up for the C\"mI. He ex~ concern over go\tnuntnl's laxity in adtm:ss. ing the 5C:O.Irity chnllenges in the: country, and warned that urUcss lII!ent s~ '\~ taken by gO\'eIllIIlCFFI 10 address the situation. the: coumry'S quest to become one u'f the 20 largest economies in the \\lrid by Ihe year 20:20 may be a mirnge. " It is /10 longer IICWS that the state of insecurity is denying the COUIluy the cxpecta!d foreign investment nc:akd to boosl ~ de\'C.lopFTI!fIt. it is no longer news that th~ 3Chie~ mall of Yision 20:20'10 may not be visible due to fh.! evidc:noc: on ground. " But the news u. thai 1LO !epR'SCfltam~ shunned activi~anised
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By Linda E roke Lies in the counlI)' as a result of im;ecurity. The: n..o Iq'F'eSCIltatives had signalled the union 10 say that lhey were still awaiting the 5eC\1rity cle:uance from the: USA before they can oome;' Omarsaid. It ","wid be: recalled that the US recently warned its citiu-ns and agcocics agaimt visiting Nigeria without due cleamnce rrum it ba;am;e of the: stale of insecurity in the: counuy. Meanwhile , Head of Education Unit in Nigeria Labour CongJeSS (NlC), Mr. Valentine Ude , disclosed thai the Harmattan School had producc:d over 5.000 graduands in the last 10 yeaB of oper.uion, e\'eIl as alilile participants had sta:rItd using their acqu ~ skill lowards bettering Ihe lots of tbc:iremploym. He said the essence. of the programme ....'35 10 equip participants with the inteUc:ctuai resource base 10SC:o-e and wild integration at the wmkpllll:C and the: entire country. noting thai. participants had been using the acquim:l skills to enhance their performance in the workplace. He however warned participants against using their skills to intimidate their colleagues in theolflCC: but imbibe theculrure of persuasion 10 change things rather than fon:eful approach 10 things. 1be thelIE of this year's training programme was ·Building National In[egration nnd Sustainable Dc\'elopment the Role of Labour and Civil Society' .
siness\fEAM [)eputy Group Btl!;ln!!M ~
ABIMBOtAAI<()s1lE FRANCIS lK3..... QKE
~~ CHIKAAJ#.NZE.foM'ACHUKU Maritime Edi:or .JOHl'j IWOUI Am:jbus!ness e. ~~ ~
CRUSOEWGIE Communjc!l;Io!!S & !!=Business Etfrtor EMMAOKCXUl
GOODY EGENE
Sen!cr CQrm!!!lOdeots RAHEEM >J<JNGIl(1jJ (~&
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0ifNE00 EZE
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NtW.IDIOI..RJ(~
I..N)A EROKE (lAbtluj ERCJ,K)5EL..E ABICDJN
ftaI:bI MId)
EJICR)R Al.KE (fiBW;!
JMIES EAtEJO (Na\01's ~ 0B.tf0lA0iIMA (/.4cn'y Marlol!fj SAM ADEGBE (Atxi.ctD"l &Mal
home: counoies or visas III the point of cnlI)'. "Our strategy is to make Nigeria the hub of investments in Africa. And to be able to fasHrack this pruccss, ....-e ha\'e started willi the inauguration of the Australia-Nigeria Trude and Investment Council in Australia during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Australia last month. '1l!e Ministry of Tr.Jde and investment is looki ng at repli· OIting this for six other advanced economies. This lIChicle will channel big. trans· fonnative in\'estments into Nigeria and strengthen our balance of payment positioo:' he said. He lidded. "I was in China last wec:k. 00 the: invitation of China's Minister of Commerce. And from our discussions, the Otinese companies are excited about the investment opportun ities in Nigeria. "We have a1so been able 10 sectUC fInn commitments from the Chinese government to
make Nigeria a preferred man-
ufacturing hub for Africa". he
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Aganga ruted that the: FG had alrc:ady embarked on a holistic, in\"estment climate reform programme to remove the barriers 10 FoI'eign Direct In\"CStment in Nigeria. He said , I11e Federal Government has identified the: holes 10 be: plugged in thequest for an investor-friendly environment. ''1b this end, the Fc:daaI Minisuy of Trade and Investment hllll, therefore, comrneoccd 1111 investment elim.:lle n:fonn progmmme, worldng with the Dc:partmenl for International Development (DflD) and the: Work! Bank to aeate an in\"CStment ecosystem that will match that of the top c:cooomies globally. '"To pa\'e the way for easy implementaLion, the n:forms have been brolo::n into the fol· lowing subgroups: Business Environment Refonn, Review of Trude, Industrial and lnve:stmc:nt laws, policies and incentV.-es: creation of a com·
pcLitiveness council to drive and COOIdina[e the: effons of the public and private sc:ctorli aimed at improYing our compeLiLi\"ClIC:5S 1b:: ministct also idenLified . m'1cw of tariffs to protect and promole local industries: and Customs, Ports tmmigration n:fonns; and adtm:ssing issues raised in the Ease or Doing Business SUI"Vl:y conducted by DfID and the:
World Bank. llEse include: the implementaLion of a National \-alues re-orientaLioo programme: civil service reform: and improving public and privar.e governana:, security refonns: job creation through Train to Work pr0gramme; ruml industrialisation progranune: collage mining industry, and dc:vc:lopment of a social 5eC\1ri ty (safd)' TId) prograrnrne, runong others. '1bc: long-term targets of the irn'eStment climate reform programme are: to increase Nigeria's creditworthiness by 10 places in the nexl 10 yeaJ1i; increase invc:stmc:nt IC\"CI by 300 per cenl by 20 15 (incRasc:
of 58.9 billion); and mluce the levcl of polierty in Nige ria through the: creation of mon: jom. '~ are to increase global competiLi\-enC:SS ranking by 75 points in 20 15; and improve Nigeria's Ease of Doing Business ranking and match South Afria:s ranking in the next 5 years and 10 be: in the lop 5 in sub-Saharan Africa by 2O IS·. he added . He stated that the refonns Wl:tt also largeted at value: reorientation and elimination of pert:c:plion of COITUpLion by the: year20IS. In addition 10 the: investmenl climate refonn programme, Aganga said Utal the ministry had also commenced the m'iew of major industrial policies which focus on llreas where Nigeria had comparntive and com~titi\'e 1Id\"lIJltage. He sald. "With regard 10 the counuy's resource: advantage, the policic:s will foeuson the: oil and gas, petrochemicals. solid minaals and the: agriculturn.l sec'l0fS oflhe economy, among
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'L-R: utuier 0/ d,e fl'igeriDn tkftgorion 10 tht lnftmoJi(}IInf Tl"DIlt Fair in Nt.,., Dtlll; aruJ Prtsidtnl, Abuja Chambt,. o/Commtrce and fndwtry Mints and Ag,,'ell/tllrt (ABUCCfMA ) Dek OJe, "'ilh mtmbtn a/ dIe dt ftgation Dr. Asabt Vditn Bruhi,. and LA""an Moina Mohmlld uJ the e''f!nt
Deforestation: Nigeda Ranked Worst in the World
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I)e lntemaLiooa.llnsLitute of Tropical Agriculture (lITA) has rankOO Nigeria as the wtnI country in the worid in t~ of defOlC'ltlllion. Howe\a", Fhe Il\5litute also strc:ssaI that IiEte was slill hope. for ~ country, unless it starts paying utgent and serious attention to nature. lllC: Projea Director, UTA, Mr. JoIUl Peacock, explaifllXl thai over 90 perlrflt ofNigc:ria'S foresl has been lost as a result of deforestaLion. Peacock. who spoke at the official launch of the: Nigerian Field Society Young Explorers (NFSYE) in Ibad.Ul. added thai: as a result of !his huge desuuclion of the Il3Lion's r~. il Y;ould require a lut of work on the pan of \he roung generation to bring back the f~. "Taday's e\-ef11 is aboul the children identifying and appreciating the ,-aiucs of narure so that they will not grow up to cut ~ and shool birds. Nigeria has a dubious position of being last bul 1.hete is no reason why il should I1Ql be fit!>C he said. " Likt: the Presiden[ has said
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about changing this courlUy by empo....ering the youth, \\'e ha\"C the youth hoe todlY because they ~ part and pan:el of the future of this counlry,~ he
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According to him, (ITA has startai a n:rorestation progrnmmc in Nigeria and said Uta[ the children in lbadan had been instn.unental in planting trtts. He also ~ the rttd to enl~"Cf youth in the counuy maintaining that involYing the younger gencr.uion in nalure Yowkl bring about job creation and 0\"Cf all w-elopmc:nt in the: COWltry.
lie noted that cutting \b.\·n forest not only causes global warming and climate change but affects fanning activities in the country. "Wh:u rrrA is doing is /I)'ing to aJroUJage famlCJ1i to adopt tllC: high yield IIllIieties and :u the same time advising them not to cut dcJy,.·n trees so that Nigeria. does not lose \"lIluable and IlIC:dicinai plants," he said.
"If you. cut yOur trees down. lheplanc:t will die. Trc:esare like skins and we knqw that if you in a fire and you loSe about 70 per a::nt of )"ourskin you will die. The: fore5l is the skin of the plllllC:l. earthJ he added. Also Speaking at the e\'eIll. a cas53\"3Incder.lITA. Mr. Peter KulakoW, said c8ssa.\'a yields in thecountry has been improving, noting thai if fanners use high yield \"arictic:s and good man· agemeru prnctices, they can get yields of 25 to 30 10rmes per 1«<=. He said one of the wks of UTA is to help f:lJll1Cn gc:t the n:source:s nc:c:dcd to improve their productivity. ·'11 is" challenge 10 make the whole \-aJue: chaln of the cassava chain work to get high yields. lllC:fC is also a need to ha\"C a markc:t for cassava and this is wby the 10 percenl inclusion of cassava into wheal is \"Cry imponanl for the Cl5Sa\"3 tube: market so tlml the price fi\il1"let!> get for their cassava gives tllC:l11 a reasonable profit:' he said. He a1socalled on the govcrnment 10 cwganise the cas5a\"3
\-aiue chain 10 ensure that all of the infrastruc\lIl"C:s are in plill% to suppM t::aSSa\"3 produc:tion in the country. On the: .soowgc of the cunent cassava brown s~ lIffc:cting cassava yiekls in the eastern Africa, Kulakow said cassava bro.....n SI!eak is 001. prc:sc:nl in Nigeria but said that it has been spreading wesc. He warned thai it is \'CJ)' imporuulI that the FG engage itself in a pre..empLive measure to de\-eiop resistant varieties 10 cassa'"3 brown sneak diseases and also SIrt:s5I:d the need for a proper trofIitoring or the dlseasC siruation, 10 identify any occurreoce and 1":'"'Cl11 it from being an epidenuc in the country. The Director General, ITTA, Mr. Nlcranya Sanginga, said blannl the IXXlf yickl of fann produce 00 tlle soil fertility in tllC:continenl. He added that soil fcnility remains the bane: to high yield of cups si!V;'C the land had been dc:gradaI m; a fClUh of defoe· estoIion. noti/1g that the: usc of rertilisc:tS C1IUlO( protect farm produce in the: counuy.