Business
Households, Traders Lament High Cost Of Food Items
Some households and traders in Port Harcourt have expressed worries and concerns over daily increase in cost of food items in the city.
The Tide investigation shows that some households are going through excruciating pains, especially on how to feed their families.
Reacting to the exorbitant rise in prices of food items in Port Harcourt markets, a mother of three in Rumuosi in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, Mrs Florence Chigozie, in a chat with TheTide, expressed displeasure over the continuous rise in virtually every food items in Port Harcourt.
“If you go to the market today and you buy an item, by the time you go there the next day or two days later, you will discover an increase and this has been continuous since the Coronavirus lock down.
“Just two days ago, I bought a roll of tomato sarchet at the cost of N300, but I was surprised that the price today has increased to N500 within two days. That is not to talk about other items needed for food.
“I have told my children that we will start cooking without tomatoes and we will be making use of oil and leave tomatoes for now so that we can meet up”, she stated.
Also speaking to our correspondent on the issue, a foodstuffs dealer, Mrs Faith Ohakwe, explained that the daily rising cost of food items has affected her business negatively due to low patronage.
According to her, many of her customers were no longer patronising her as they couldn’t meet up with the daily rise in prices of food items.
Mr Obinna Mathew, a foodstuffs dealer in the Mile Three Market in Port Harcourt, however, blamed the situation on the Covid-19 pandemic which according to him, affected food production of food items.
According to him, the closure of the border by the Federal Government for almost four months also affected farming, leading to scarcity of food items in the market.
Matthew urged the government to intervene and save the situation from further aggravation.
The Tide’s check on the prices of some food items in most of the markets in Port Harcourt, shows that a bag of rice has risen from N24,000 to N30,000 for the local stone-free rice, while a custard rubber of beans that sold for N1,000 now goes for between N1,200 and N1,300.
By: Corlins Walter
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The Federal Government has approved a whooping $1bn credit facility to support Nigerian exporters and small scale businesses to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in order to boost production, competitiveness and intra-African trade.
The $1bn AfCFTA Adjustment Fund Credit Facility is also expected to address some of the financing gap being faced by Nigerian exporters and enhance the competitiveness of African businesses within the continental market.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, disclosed this during the second quarter 2026 meeting of the AfCFTA Central Coordination Committee held in Abuja.
According to a statement issued by the ministry’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Obilor-Duru Okechi, Oduwole said the financing facility represented a major opportunity for Nigerian businesses seeking to expand operations, modernise production processes and increase exports to African markets.
The statement partly read, “?The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to accelerating Nigeria’s export-led growth agenda under the African Continental Free Trade Area, unveiling opportunities for businesses to access a US$1 billion AfCFTA Adjustment Fund Credit Facility aimed at boosting production, competitiveness, and intra-African trade.”
She noted that despite the progress Nigeria had made in implementing the continental trade agreement, many local businesses continued to face obstacles that limited their ability to take advantage of the single African market.
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“Many businesses still face challenges relating to export documentation, certification, standards compliance and market access,” the minister said.
She explained that the Federal Government was addressing these bottlenecks through enhanced trade facilitation measures, simplified AfCFTA guidance tools, stakeholder engagement programmes and stronger collaboration with institutions such as the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council.
Oduwole stressed the need to strengthen Nigeria’s legal and regulatory framework by domesticating key AfCFTA protocols, particularly the Digital Trade Protocol, to position the country as a major player in Africa’s growing digital economy.
The minister also highlighted some of the gains recorded in Nigeria’s AfCFTA implementation efforts.
According to her, the expansion of Nigeria’s Air Cargo Corridor Initiative to Rwanda, increased collaboration with development partners and private sector players, as well as sustained engagement with state governments, were helping to deepen awareness and participation in the continental market.
In her welcome address and first-quarter update, the National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, Mrs Patience Okala, provided details of the financing initiative.
Okala said the $1bn AfCFTA Adjustment Fund Credit Facility was targeted at large African businesses with a minimum financing capacity of $10m.
She revealed that the National AfCFTA Coordination Office was working closely with fund managers to facilitate access for eligible Nigerian companies and had begun assembling a pilot group of businesses to ensure that Nigeria maximised the opportunities provided by the facility.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has advised Nigerians against boarding boats that require constant bailing of water in the interest of their safety.
NIWA Area Manager for Cross River and Ebonyi, Mr Stanley Onuoha gave this warning in an interview with Newsmen in Calabar.
Onuoha who spoke on waterway
safety, said that passengers should take responsibility for their safety by inspecting boats before embarking on any journey.
According to him, repeated scooping of water from a boat is a clear indication that the vessel may be leaking.
“If you are entering a boat and see people using a bailer to remove water, it is the first signal that the boat is leaking,” he said.
He urged passengers to check the integrity of boats, including seating arrangements and other visible safety features.
The Manager restated the importance of using safety jackets, saying that damaged jackets may fail during emergencies.
He further said that passengers should ensure that safety jackets were appropriate for their body sizes in order to guarantee effective flotation.
Onuoha reiterated the need for passengers to fill manifests before departure to aid accountability during emergencies.
The NIWA official further advised travellers to monitor weather conditions and avoid boarding boats when the weather is unfavourable.
According to him, poor weather conditions can trigger strong tidal waves capable of affecting small boats commonly used on inland waterways.
He said that waterway journeys should be embarked upon between 6.00a.m and 6.00p.m for clearer visibility.
Onuoha said the Authority had continued to sensitise riverine communities to the need for safety precautions during waterway journeys.
He stated that sustained awareness campaigns and enforcement measures had contributed to safety waterway safety in Cross River.
CHINEDU WOSU
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