Business
Ministry To Support Chinese Firm On Investment Expansion
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Okechukwu Enelamah says the ministry will support Lifemate Furniture Limited, a Chinese company to expand its investment in the country.
The minister made this known at the opening of the Chinese furniture company in Abuja.
Represented by Mr Aminu Bisalla, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Enelamah urged the company to explore the use of e-commence to enable Nigerians to learn the appropriate and latest technology in furniture making.
Senate President Bukola Saraki said “the presence of such company shows that Nigeria’s economy was growing and favorable for investors.”
Saraki, who was represented by Sen. Isah Hamma, added that the present administration had provided enabling environment for investors to thrive in the country.
He commended the company for using local materials in making furniture and urged the manager to open branches in the states.
“I believe the establishment of this company will attract more investors into the country and our people will gain employment and learn better technology,’’ Saraki said.
Former Senator Adamu Aliero, who urged Nigerians to patronise locally made furniture, added that “we need to stop importing what we can produce in this country.
“I believe with Lifemate Furniture, more Nigerians will learn how to make furniture with latest technology and I think the country should be able to stop importing furniture in the next two years.”
Mr Derek Dai, the Managing Director of the company, said Nigeria was endowed with raw materials and that was why the furniture maker decided to expand its business in the country.
Dai said the company received lots of support from Federal Government, adding that it originated in China and operates in few African countries, with large chunk of businesses in Nigeria.
“Nigeria is endowed with raw materials and that is why we decided to expand our business here,’’ he said.
He noted that the company chose Nigeria because of peace and stability being experienced in the country, which every investor would look out for before establishing any business.
“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.