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Demand For African Commodities Falling -ECOWAS

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Commissioner for Social Affairs and Gender, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Dr Siga Jagne, has said that the demand and prices for African commodities are falling.
Jagne said this at a meeting of labour general assembly of the ECOWAS with the theme “strengthening social dialogue for the promotion of decent work in the ECOWAS region” yesterday in Abuja.
She added that by extension the demand and prices for West African commodities were affected by the fall, adding that capital flow were declining and promised of increased aid had not materialised.
According to her, the ECOWAS region has a population of approximately 391 million with a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of approximately 676.1 billion dollars.
She stated that member states of ECOWAS were majorly low-income countries with gross national income per capital ranging from 3,678 dollars in Cape Verde to 452 dollars in Niger.
This, she said, led to a regional median gross national income per capital of 1,608 dollars in 2018.
According to her, these low incomes per capital figures are indicative of generalised poverty due to the limited resources to cater for the basic needs of the growing regional population on a sustainable basis.
She noted that majority of youths in the ECOWAS region did not have stable economic opportunities, noting those between the ages 15 and 24 had lower employment rate than adults by around 20 per cent.
Jagne stated that the problem was not just unemployment but underemployment, which according to her peaked at over half of youth in the labour force in the region.
“Women are also severally affected by low employment rate, as the gender gap between men and women in gainful employment continues to widen in the region.
“In addition, due to poor infrastructure, workers in rural areas are less involved in labour force participation,’’ she said.
Secretary General, Organisation of Trade Union in West Africa (OTUWA),Mr John Odoh, said that the level of social protection in the region include progress in gender mainstreaming.
He said that the commission had a lot to do to accomplish in West Africa and the rest of the world, adding that the commission should come out with proposal that would be beneficial to the region.
Odoh said that the assembly must work to ensure improved standard of living condition of the region and its workforce.
Deputy Director, International Labour Organisation (ILO), Mrs Cynthia Olajuwon, said that the region could not claim ownership of development if it was exclusively funded by others.
She stated that social dialogue must be mainstreamed into the things dragging the region backward such as unemployment, insecurity, low wage among others.
She said that some of the great things happening in Africa and West Africa showed that ECOWAS had gone far, adding that the global agenda on social dialogue had been promoted.
Olajuwon said that the African Union at the level of Head of States adopted the provision of employment as a key continental agenda.

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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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