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Eurozone Economy Grows By 0.1% …As Germany Disappoints

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The 16 countries that use the euro barely grew in the fourth quarter, as a modest recovery stalled amid turmoil in financially troubled members such as Greece and a disappointingly flat performance from Germany, the biggest euro economy.

The figures lagged well behind fourth-quarter growth in the United States and raised concerns that Europe could slip back into recession as government stimulus efforts expire and the continent struggles with a government debt crisis in some countries.

Eurozone gross domestic product grew by only 0.1 percent in the last three months of 2009 from the previous three-month period, EU statistics agency Eurostat said Friday.

Export powerhouse Germany turned in zero growth as consumption levels remained weak, reinforcing analysts’ thinking that sustained growth in Europe will have to wait until household spending picks up decisively.

The eurozone growth figure fell short of expectations for a 0.4 percent increase and stoked worries the eurozone may dip back into recession.

The euro took a further battering for the euro on currency markets. By late morning London time, the euro was trading at near nine-month lows $1.3535, a full cent lower than where it was when the German figures came out. 

‘On Friday, data shows that the recovery in the euro area is a long way off from being self-sustained,” said Jorg Radeke, an economist at the Centre for Economic and Business Research.

The third quarter increase of 0.4 percent had encouraged hopes that the eurozone recoveiy wuulu be solid, especially as U.S. growth spiked sharply higher, it was up a quarterly 1.4 percent -­during the period and China continues to grow strongly.

However, the recovery in the third quarter now appears likely to have been due to temporary factors like government spending boosts, a build-up in inventory levels and car scrappage schemes that pay people to trade in old cars, particularly in Germany.

A real concern in the markets now is that upcoming austerity programs in places like Greece, Spain, Portugal and Ireland will continue to depress activity in those countries and further undermine the overall eurozone recovery.

“Given the state of the public finances across many euro member states, fiscal tightening may be too early in many of those countries struggling to maintain growth,” said Radeke from the Centre for Business and Economic Research.

The Eurostat figures clearly showed that the countries most affected by the debt crisis are struggling.

Greece, which is in the midst of a debt crisis that made EU leaders to pledge support on Thursday, saw its output shrink by 0.8 percent. Portugal’s output was unchanged following two solid quarterly increases, and Spain’s economy contracted by a further 0.1 percent as it continues to suffer from its property market collapse and near 20 percent unemployment levels.

The third quarter recovery in Italy also proved to be short-lived as the eurozone’s third largest economy shrank by 0.2 percent during the period.

France, the eurozone’s second-largest economy, appears to have been the main reason behind the overall rise in the fourth quarter in the eurozone, as it posted a respectable 0.6 percent increase in output.

The fourth quarter figures cap a miserable economic year — for 2009 as a whole, the eurozone economy, which includes around 330 million people, contracted by a massive 4 percent.

Though most economists as well as the European Central Bank expect growth this year, it’s unlikely to be remarkable, especially as there are signs of underlying weakness in France — much of the growth there in the fourth quarter was due to car sales, which were boosted by the upcoming scaling back of the car scrappage scheme at the end of the year.

“An anaemic core and a deflating periphery point to weak eurozone GDP growth this year,” said Michael Taylor, an economist at Lombard Street Research.

As if further proof were needed that the euro area recovery is not going to plan, separate Eurostat figures showed that industrial production plunged 1.7 percent in December from the previous month.

The wider 27-country ED, which includes non-euro members such as Britain and Sweden as well as east European countries including Poland and Hungary, saw fourth quarter GDP rise by 0.1 percent, the same as the eurozone.

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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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