Business
RUFIN, SMEDAN Sign MoU On Enterpreneural Dev
The Rural Finance Institution Building Programme (RUFIN) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The MoU is aimed at facilitating the training of RUFIN groups in vocational and entrepreneurial development.
RUFIN, a $27.2 million programme between the Federal Government and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is designed to alleviate poverty with focus on women, youths and physically challenged people in the country.
The seven-year programme is being implemented in 36 local government areas and 12 states; namely Oyo, Lagos, Anambra, Imo, Nasarawa, Benue, Zamfara, Katsina, Adamawa, Bauchi, Akwa Ibom and Edo.
The Director-General of RUFIN, Malam Muhammad Umar, said the training had become essential for the development of all the small-scale enterprises (SMEs), which had been neglected for a long time.
He said the neglect had made it difficult for the agricultural sector to compete favourably with other sectors and contribute meaningfully to exports and the nation’s Gross Domestic Product.
Umar stressed the need for the country’s leadership to earmark more funds for the development of SMEs to ensure the development of the economy.
He argued that if the small businesses were developed, they would cover the largest bracket of population in the country who would be engaged in one trade or the other and become self-reliant.
The director-general observed that the lack of inter-dependence between big and small-scale enterprises had resulted in most of the big businesses winding up.
He said SMEDAN had been working toward improving the entrepreneurial development of the country to enable the SMEs to contribute effectively to export.
Umar noted that currently, the SMEs did not contribute more than three per cent to export compared to the more than 50 per cent recorded in India.
“Until we have this, we can make bold to say we have an import-dependent country,” he said.
The director-general commended RUFIN for training its groups in vocational and entrepreneurial development, saying this would go a long way in making the programme viable.
Mr. Musibau Azeez, the National Programme Coordinator of RUFIN, said the programme would strengthen rural micro-finance institutions to enable them to provide financial services to the rural poor.
He said the development would also enhance their income and agricultural productivity and boost rural micro-enterprises.
Azeez said it was in its quest for proper implementation and in accordance with its mandate that made RUFIN to look for specific areas of cooperation with SMEDAN.
As part of its mandate, he said RUFIN had so far collated information on 4,250 informal savings groups and linked them with micro-finance banks for the disbursement of loans to them for onward distribution to their members.
He added that RUFIN had also facilitated the formation of apex organisations for both Micro-Finance Banks (MFBs) and Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs) in the country to promote the sustainability of the programme.
According to him, a curriculum has also been developed with the Central Bank of Nigeria for the capacity building of the MFBs.
Azeez expressed the commitment of RUFIN to cooperate with any organisation that would make it achieve its mandate.
Business
Electricity: Bands BCDE Suffer No Power
As DisCos struggle to meet the required 20 hours power supply to “Band A” customers following shortage of gas which has hindered power generation since January, customers on Bands B, C, D, and E are left with no light, according to The Tide’s source.
The source learnt that the distribution companies were concentrating more on the Band A customers to keep their Band A feeders from being downgraded.
Band A customers enjoy a minimum of 20 hours of electricity daily.
On April 3, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission announced that subsidies would no longer be paid for the electricity consumed by Band A customers.
The electricity tariff for Band A customers was revised upward from N68 per kilowatt-hour to N255/KWh.
1 kWh is the amount of energy that could be used if a 1,000-watt appliance is kept running for an hour. For example, a 100-watt light bulb operating for 10 hours would use 1 kWh.
After the power subsidy was removed, the NERC directed the 11 DisCos to release their lists of Band A customers, who must get at least a 20-hour supply daily.
The regulator and the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, emphasised that there would be sanctions should the distribution companies fail to supply Band A customers with 20 hours of electricity.
The DisCos were also mandated to inform customers whenever they failed to meet the required minimum service level.
NERC said where a DisCo failed to deliver on the committed level of service on a Band A feeder for two consecutive days, the DisCo should, by 10 am the next day, publish on its website an explanation of the reasons for the failure and update the affected customers on the timeline for restoration of service to the committed level.
It stated that if a customer’s service level improves to at least 20 hours, they should be upgraded from lower service bands to Band A, adding that if the DisCo fails to meet the committed service level to a Band A feeder for seven consecutive days, the feeder will be downgraded to the recorded level of supply by the applicable framework.
In their efforts to meet up with the service level, the source gathered that some of the DisCos were gradually resorting to diverting the little allocation they get to the Band A customers.
This is in spite of the fact that the gas constraints that have hindered power generation since the beginning of the year have yet to be addressed.
Many communities said they could not boast 30 hours of power supply since January, a development the government blamed on the refusal of gas companies to supply gas to power-generating companies due to heavy debt.
Recall that recently, the IBEDC spokesperson, Busolami Tunwase, explained that, “One of the primary factors is the low supply of gas to generating companies, which has led to a gradual decrease in available generation on the grid.
Business
‘Inappropriate Insider Dealing’ Earns Julius Berger NGX Sanction
Authorities at the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) have sanctioned Julius Berger Nigeria (JBN) Plc for engaging in inappropriate insider dealing in shares.
According to a document obtained by The Tide’s source, JBN, Nigeria’s leading construction company, was sanctioned for “insider dealing during closed period”.
Incorporated in 1970, Julius Berger, Nigeria, which was incorporated in 1970, became a publicly quoted company in 1991 and has more than 10,000 shareholders.
NGX Regulatory Company (NGX RegCo), the self regulatory organisation (SRO) that regulates activities at the NGX, stated that JBN breached certain provisions of the listing rules and was thus sanctioned accordingly.
According to NGX RegCo, JBN violated provisions on “closed period”, in breach of the construction company’s commitment to adhere to listing rules and standards.
The NGX had tightened its rules and regulations to checkmate boardroom intrigues and block information arbitrage that tend to confer advantages on companies’ directors.
The amendments expanded the scope and authority of corporate financial reporting while eliminating gaps that allowed companies to sidetrack relevant rules in stage-managing corporate compliance.
The enhanced framework provided clarity and greater disclosures on directors’ trading in shares, corporate liability for accuracy and compliance of financial statement, dissuade bogus dividend payment and other sundry boardroom’s maneuverings that tend to favour insiders.
The amendments came on the heels of noticeable increase in violations of rules on ‘closed period’, a period when directors are banned from trading in the shares of their companies.
Rule 17.17 of the NGX disallows insiders and their connected persons from trading in the shares or bonds of their companies during the ‘closed period’ or any period during which trading is restricted.
This period is mostly at a period of sensitive material information, like prior knowledge of financials, dividends or major corporate changes, which places directors and other insiders at advantage above other general and retail investors.
A review of the disclosure violations at the stock market had shown that all violations in 2021 were related to violation of Rule 17.17 on ‘closed period’.
Under the amendments, in addition to the provisions of relevant accounting standards, laws, rules and requirements regarding preparation of financial statements, companies are now required to include several specific declarations on securities transactions by directors, changes in shareholding structure, self-assessment on compliance with corporate governance standards and internal code for directors on securities transactions among others.
Business
Nigerian Breweries To Suspend Operations In Two Plants
Nigerian Breweries Plc says it is planning for a company-wide reorganisation which include the temporary suspension of operations in two of its nine breweries.
It said this is part of a company-wide reorganisation as part of a strategic recovery plan aimed at securing a resilient and sustainable future for its stakeholders.
The Business Recovery Plan includes a rights issue and a company-wide reorganisation exercise which includes temporary suspension of two of its nine breweries and an optimisation of production capacity in the other seven breweries, some of which have received significant capital investment in recent years.
These measures include relocating and redistributing employees to the remaining seven breweries and offering support and severance packages to those that become unavoidably affected.
The company said this move is essential to improve its operational efficiency, financial stability and enhance a return of the business to profitability, in the face of the persistently challenging business environment.
In letters signed by the company’s Human Resource Director, Grace Omo-Lamai, and addressed to the leadership of the National Union of Food, Beverage & Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE) and the Food Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB), the company informed both unions that its proposed plan would include operational efficiency measures and a company-wide reorganisation that includes the temporary suspension of operations in two of its nine breweries.
As a result, and in accordance with labour requirements, the company invited the unions to discussions on the implications of the proposed measures.
Recall that the company recently notified the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) of its plan to raise capital of up to N600 billion by way of a rights issue, as a means of restoring the company’s balance sheet to a healthy position following the net finance expenses of N189 billion recorded in 2023 driven mainly by a foreign exchange loss of N153 billion resulting from the devaluation of the naira.
Speaking on these developments, the Managing Director/CEO, Nigerian Breweries, Hans Essaadi, described the business recovery plan as strategic and vital for business continuity.
-
Oil & Energy3 days ago
Oil Fund Withdrawals Suggest Extended Price Rally
-
World3 days ago
Nigerian Police Emerge Best At US Training Programme In Jordan
-
Maritime3 days ago
PTML Customs Posts N66.92bn Revenue In First Quarter 2024
-
Opinion3 days ago
Cautious Optimism As Naira Rebounds
-
News3 days ago
FG Unveils Plans For Inland Waterways, Coastal Services
-
Nation3 days ago
Senators, Reps To Resume Plenary In Remodelled Main Chambers
-
Rivers3 days ago
Don Seeks Incorporation Of Anti-Corruption Study In Curriculum
-
Oil & Energy3 days ago
NSCDC’s Anti-Vandal Squad Uncovers Artisanal Refinery In Rivers Community