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AfDB Forum Strategises For Regional Economies

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Some participants at the ongoing 47th yearly general meeting of the African Development Bank (AfDB)  in Arusha, Tanzania, said on Wednesday that the demands of globalisation made it imperative for Africans to make their economies competitive.

The stakeholders, drawn from across the continent, emerging economies and global financial institutions, according to The Tide source, submitted that it was defeatist for Africans to blame others for the failure of their economies.

Also, the Coordinator, Community-Based Agricultural Development Programme, Jacob Vanco, has appealed to the Adamawa Government to pay the unsettled balance of N90.597 million counterpart funds.

Vanco, who made the appeal while speaking with newsmen in Yola, said that the funds would facilitate the smooth implementation of the programme scheduled to close in December 2012.

“I want to appeal to the state government and the beneficiary local governments to support the programme by paying their counterpart funds.

“Five of the nine beneficiary local government councils of Toungo, Girei, Hong, Madagali and Numan are to pay a total balance of N65.597 million.

“The state government also has arrears of N25 million covering from 2007 to 2011, having paid N19.218 million in 2006,” Vanco said.

The coordinator said that Jada, Maiha, Mubi South and Demsa councils had settled their payments totalling N6.756 million.

He explained that the programme, which commenced in 2006, was in operation in five states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna and Kwara.

According to him, the six-year programme which commenced in 2006 was supposed to have ended in 2011 but was extended by one year to December 2012.

AfDB was funding 81 per cent of the entire project, while the three tiers of government and the benefitting communities were expected to contribute three per cent, six per cent, 11 per cent and one per cent respectively, he added.

He noted that the programme was designed to contribute to national food security and increase access to rural infrastructure in the five participating states.

However, the Chairman at one of the seminars on emerging issues in African economies, Nkosana Moyo, described as disheartening, the usual conclusions that Africans don’t understand themselves, in spite of the accepted notion “we know what we want”.

Moyo, a former Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the AfDB, said African countries needed right policies that would make it more productive and competitive.

“We cannot depend on foreign investors to come in with everything. Investors always want to take an upper hand and we end up losing.

“Governments should concentrate on making the right policies to protect national and African interests, otherwise outsiders will go away with our wealth,” Moyo said.

Executive Chairman of Infotech Investment Group in Tanzania, Ali Mufuruki, said African governments could not justify the huge budget spent on policy formulation in the face of the sliding character of the continent’s economies.

Mufuruki explained that Africans should re-evaluate their approach to development programmes that would complement foreign investments.

On current trends in global trade, Mufuruki asked: “Are we ready to harvest the rising commodity prices or are we waiting for another lost opportunity?

“All policies we make must be based on empirical ground and not on perceptions by other people,” Mufuruki said, adding: “Africans haven’t prepared themselves for what is happening in the global economy.”

Director and Head of Global Market at the Standard Bank of South Africa, Terence Sibiya, said it was disappointing for primary commodities to still dominate Africans exports.

“We have to break this huge cycle and come up with innovative instruments to safeguard Africa’s interests if we are to eliminate poverty in this continent,” Sibiya said.

Njuguna Ndungu of Central Bank of Kenya, also called for the creation of strong institutions to lead the continent out of poverty and break Africa’s over dependence on aid.”

”Emerging issues have been with us for a very long time. We need to roll out public investment in an innovative way and develop intra-African trade.

“Poverty is a product of institutional failure. Have we changed the development paradigm?  Ndungu asked.

AfDB organised the session to provide an overview of some of the significant forces that could shape Africa’s future.

It was also meant to explore critical public policy choices that could be taken at country and regional level.

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NPA Assures On Staff Welfare 

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The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the management will continue to accompany its port infrastructure  and equipment  modernization drive  with the development of the welfare of its personnel.
Dantsoho made the disclosure recently while responding to the commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) on the  clearing  of the age-long problem of employee stagnation, when the union paid him a courtesy visit at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos.
A Statement by NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, quoted Dantsoho as saying,  “our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand-in-hand with continuous staff welfare improvement”.
The NPA MD disclosed that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch, adding that “talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness.
“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”
Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.
“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he sad.
Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President  of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Comrade Bodunde stated, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

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National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Elder Olumide Fakanlu, has been elected Vice President of the Federation of ECOWAS Licensed Customs Brokers Association (FELCBA).
The election took place during the FELCBA Congress, held from Tuesday, June 17th to Thursday, June 19th, 2025, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Fakanlu’s emergence as Vice President marks a significant achievement for Nigeria within the regional customs brokerage community.
Apart from Fakanlu, Secretary of the Seme Chapter of ANLCA, Austin Nwosu, was also elected, securing the role of Secretary of Relations with Institutions.
The Nigerian delegation played an active role in the congress, with Michael Ebeatu nominated as a member of the electoral officer team, ensuring a fair and transparent election process.
The three-day congress concluded with delegates undertaking a visit to the Sierra Leone Port, offering insights into the host nation’s maritime operations, followed by a recreational trip to the Tokeh Beach.
The newly elected executives are expected to lead FELCBA in its efforts to harmonize customs brokerage practices, promote trade facilitation, and advocate for the interests of licensed customs brokers across the ECOWAS sub-region.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement 

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In a bid to enhance more enforcement in the nation’s Port, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to stronger inter-agency collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The Council said the collaboration is aimed at enhancing stronger enforcement, compliance and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s ports.
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of  NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, made this known during a visit to the  Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The visit, which he said, focused on strengthening institutional synergy, comes in the wake of growing responsibilities for the NSC under the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Akutah emphasized the critical role of security agencies in supporting port operations and ensuring regulatory compliance.
He called for the posting of police officers to assist the Council’s monitoring and enforcement teams at key port locations including Lagos, Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.
“The posting will complement the activities of our revived task teams and enhance our ability to enforce standards across the maritime logistics chain”, he said.
Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun, assured the Council of the Force’s readiness to continue supporting the growth of the maritime sector.
The IGP acknowledged that compliance enforcement is essential to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Blue Economy objectives.
“The NSC and NPF are expected to deepen collaboration in the months ahead, with a shared focus on building a secure, efficient, and competitive port environment”, to the IGP emphasized.
Chinedu Wosu
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