Business
UNIDO To Spend N10bn On Nigerian Laboratories
The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) says it will spend about 15 million Euros (about N10.25 billion) as intervention fund to ensure the development and accreditation of Nigerian laboratories internationally.
The Deputy Director, Trade, Capacity Building branch of UNIDO, Mr Bernado Calzadilla-Sarmiento, newsmen in Abuja on Sunday that the fund would cover training of personnel.
Calzadilla-Sarmiento said that the fund would also cover the provision of technical assistance, database, studies, consultancy and equipment.
“The project, which is in line with UNIDO’s framework of trade capacity building, is basically aimed at reducing technical barriers which countries are faced with when doing business,’’ he said.
The UNIDO official stated that with the certification of the laboratories Made-in-Nigeria goods would be accepted and recognised by other countries.
The deputy director said UNIDO was presently working on the laboratories of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as well as four other laboratories.
He said this was with a view to getting them certified.
“What we are doing now is we are working on the laboratory at NAFDAC.
“This will mean that if this laboratory is accredited, when we export to somewhere, they know that they can trust and recognise the test that was done by the laboratory.
“Because they have the competence, they have the equipment and they have the quality management system, and this is very important.
“So, in the long term, we want to do more because we learnt that not all the laboratories complied with standards. So, in all, we are working with about five laboratories in the country for now,’’ Calzadilla-Sarmiento said.
He said there was also the need for Nigeria to comply with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreement.
He said UNIDO was in this regard trying to build the West Africa Quality System that would enable the country export her products abroad.
This, he pointed out, would also help in checking the influx of substandard products into the country. “This is bad for the economy.’’
“People need to know that your certification system is built on the basis of confidence. That is, it is accredited and recognised internationally,’’ the UNIDO official said.
He said there were different levels of laboratories, namely meteorological, chemical, calibration and testing.
The UNIDO official said further that a national meteorology institute would be developed to ensure conformity with international measuring standards and instruments for mass, length, volume, temperature and force.
He expressed delight that Nigeria was making progress in this regard, saying UNIDO could bring in international expertise where and when it was needed.
He said that the project which was likely to commence at the end of the year or early 2013 would run for four years, disclosing that it was in the final formulation stage for now.
“Payment of tuition fees for undergraduate/postgraduate studies shall be subject to a maximum limit of $25,000.00 per semester,” the Manual states.
The expansion of international card limits also reflects growing confidence among lenders that foreign exchange liquidity has improved enough to support retail dollar transactions.
Speaking recently at the BusinessDay 14th Annual CEO Forum in Lagos, CBN Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN said buying and selling activities now increasingly determine outcomes in the foreign exchange market, unlike in the past when market participants relied heavily on routine Central Bank interventions.
According to Cardoso, Nigeria’s net foreign exchange reserves have risen from just over $3 billion at the start of the reform programme to more than $40 billion, while gross reserves have climbed to about $52 billion, providing stronger confidence for investors and enabling the Central Bank to reserve interventions for periods of market stress rather than day-to-day liquidity management.
The restoration and expansion of international naira card spending limits are increasingly being seen as one of the clearest signs that the benefits of the CBN’s foreign exchange reforms are beginning to reach households, students and businesses making legitimate cross-border payments.
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday.
“Nigeria’s participation comes at a pivotal time as the country seeks to expand energy access, strengthen energy security, accelerate gas development and mobilise the capital required for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.
“WEC Nigeria will convene leaders from across the energy ecosystem, apply the WEC’s globally recognised Energy Trilemma framework to Nigeria’s unique context, and promote evidence-based dialogue, practical collaboration and informed policymaking.
“It will also ensure that Nigerian and broader African perspectives contribute meaningfully to global energy conversations,” she said.
Wilkinson expressed confidence that Nigeria would play a significant leadership role at the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 and beyond.
The statement also quoted the Chairman of WEC Nigeria, Isa, as describing the country’s participation as an opportunity to deepen national and African leadership within the global energy community through practical solutions tailored to regional development priorities.
He said the platform would promote collaboration across sectors and attract sustainable investments into Nigeria’s energy sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of WEC Nigeria, Wunti, was quoted in the statement as saying that the council would connect leadership, evidence and investment to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.
“This system will be capable of driving economic growth and shared prosperity.”
According to him, the platform will also connect Nigerian institutions and businesses with international knowledge, technology, partnerships and investment opportunities through the World Energy Council’s global network.
Recall that WEC, founded in 1923, is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners, advancing informed, collaborative and practical action across the global energy system.