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Demand For African Commodities Falling -ECOWAS

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7 years ago

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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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Transport

Automated Points Concession : FAAN Workers Gave 72hrs To Revise Decisions In PH

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6 days ago

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March 2, 2026

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The trapatriate Unions conprising the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), and the Air Transport Service Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, (ATSSSAN),  has given 72 hours Ultimatum to Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria FAAN, Omagwa Airport, Portharcourt to revise its recent decision on the concession of Tollgates and Parks to private hands.
The chairman of the Trapatriate Union, Comrade Felix Ohwoefe gave the Ultimatum yesterday immediately after the joint Unions meeting held at the Airport office of the union, Omagwa, Portharcourt.
Comrade Ohwoefe who double as the chairman of the National Union of NUATE said the two Unions have agreed to take drastic actions if the Authority of the Airport declined to step down it’s decision of concessioning the major revenue points to private hands.
According to the Union chairman, the  two union was not aware of the  concession plans, and that there were no due process to the procedures.
Comrade Ohwoefe said any attempt for the Airport Management to decline it’s demands towards the concession will result to barricading all entrance and access points of the Airport.
Expressing the  the challenges associated to the concession, the Union Chairman said the gesture might resulted to massive sack of workers in the Airport.
The chairman also expressed foul play on the part of either individuals or government in the terms and conditions so given to the concessionaires, demanding the reasons of contracting the automated points to private hands for only 14 millions, when the FAAN is presently generating over 28 million naira monthly, even when the tariff was not  reviewed upwards.
He describes the process to the procedures as fraud with intention to increase unemployment in the state.
“We are not against the concession of the Automated points, but due process must be followed. If government is concessioning the place, we are asking what will happen to our workers in the existing units.
“Secondly, if the concessionaires is taken over, they must pay higher than what the FAAN is generating presently, we are generating to the Management over 28 Millions monthly, but we had that the private company is required to pay only 14 Millions monthly, which is far below 5 percents of what we are generating presently, even when the tariff is increased, which means there is a foul play.
“The process is fraud either on the part of individual in the Government, or Government itself.
” The unions is saying no to the Concession until we come to a terms of understanding ourselves., we are afraid of loosing workers, we don’t want to loose any workers if due process is not followed in this hard of economy,  we even demanding for employment of more workers in FAAN.” Comrade Ohwoefe said.
The Union used the opportunity to called on the minister of aviation, and the President of the Country, Bola Tinubu to intervene.
When contacting the Management of the Airport Authority through the head of Corporate Affairs, Dr Ngozi V. Onyeanwuna-Nwosu,  she said the management has not given her the approval to say something.
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Transport

FAAN Announces Pick-Up Points for Go-Cashless Cards

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6 days ago

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March 2, 2026

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The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has announced designated pick-up points for individuals wishing to obtain their Go-Cashless cards ahead of the March 1, 2026 deadline.
This was announced in a statement signed by the Director Public Affairs and Consumer protection, Henry Agbebire  and made available to the Tide last Friday in Portharcourt.
According to the statement,  Go-Cashless cards is at all  FAAN commercial offices and access gates of Airports in the country .
The release further stated that cards will also be available at designated branches of Fidelity Bank Plc from March 16, 2026.
FAAN in the statement said the cashless policy followed the Federal Government directive mandating all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to transition to a cashless system to enhance transparency and reduce revenue leakages as well improve transaction traceability in the Aviation sector.
FAAN  reiterated its commitment to full compliance with the directive, appealing to the public for their understanding and cooperation during the transition period.
FAAN also inform that the Go-Cashless cards can still be obtained at the designated points after the March 1, deadline.
The Authority assures airport users that the initiative will promote faster, safer, and more convenient transactions across its airports nationwide.
By: Enoch Epelle
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Business

Fidelity Bank To Empower Women With Sustainable Entrepreneurship Skills, HAP2.0

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1 week ago

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February 27, 2026

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Leading financial institution, Fidelity Bank Plc, has announced the launch of the second edition of its flagship women-empowerment initiative, the HerFidelity Apprenticeship Programme 2.0 (HAP 2.0).
According to the report, the programme is designed to equip women with practical, income?generating skills and structured pathways to entrepreneurship.
 Accordingly, the HAP 2.0 will build on the success of its inaugural edition held in 2023.
During media chat with journalists to herald the launch of HAP 2.0, the Divisional Head, Product Development, Fidelity Bank Plc, Osita Ede, explained that the initiative has been enhanced to deliver greater impact.
He said HerFidelity Apprenticeship Programme 2.0 reflects their commitment to continuous improvement, having evaluated feedback from the first edition, they have returned with stronger partnerships and deeper mentorship programmes to ensure that women acquire not just skills, but sustainable economic opportunities.
Mr Ede, who said the programme is guided with real?world learning, also said that participants will undergo intensive apprenticeship training under reputable institutions and industry experts across selected fields such as hair styling, shoe making, auto mechatronics, and interior decoration.
Additionally, he said HerFidelity Apprenticeship Programme 2.0 goes beyond skills acquisition by offering participants a wide range of business advisory services.
These include business and financial literacy training, mentorship support throughout the apprenticeship journey, access to Fidelity Bank’s women?focused and SME financial solutions, as well as guidance on business formalisation and growth strategies.
Emphasizing the bank’s vision further, Ede said: “By integrating structured mentorship with entrepreneurial development, Fidelity Bank is positioning women not just as trainees, but as future employers, innovators, and economic contributors within their communities.
 This aligns with our mandate to help individuals grow, businesses thrive, and economies prosper”.
It is noteworthy that interested participants are encouraged to indicate their interest by visiting https://bit.ly/Apprenticeshipbyherfidelity.
It is important to note that Fidelity Bank Plc is ranked among the best banks in Nigeria, with a full-fledged Commercial Deposit Money Bank serving over 10 million customers through digital banking channels, with 255 business offices in Nigeria and United Kingdom subsidiary, FidBank UK Limited.
It is reported that the Bank is a recipient of multiple local and international Awards, including the 2024 Excellence in Digital Transformation & MSME Banking Award by BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards, the 2024 Most Innovative Mobile Banking Application award for its Fidelity Mobile App by Global Business Outlook, and the 2024 Most Innovative Investment Banking Service Provider award by Global Brands Magazine.
By: Nkpemenyie mcdominic, Lagos
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