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AfDB Tasks Nigeria, Others On Job Creation

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The African Development Bank (AfDB), has urged Nigeria and other African countries to make conscious efforts at job creation to absorb the increasingly growing labour market on the continent.
Senior Director, Nigeria Country Department, AfDB, Mr Ebrima Faal said this last Monday in Abuja at the launch of the bank’s report on “Creating Decent Jobs: Strategies, Policies, and Instruments’’.
Faal said that the current job crisis confronting the country and the continent as a whole had the potential to exacerbate its current economic, political and social problems.
According to him, Africa’s megatrends are compelling in many ways; but particularly in terms of Nigeria’s rapidly growing population, projected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050.
“While this can be a major asset constituting the source of workforce for economic and social development by creating decent jobs and empowering economic activities, it also has the potential to exacerbate the current economic, political and social problems,” he said.
The AfDB official emphasised that the unemployment crisis could render the population vulnerable to illegal activities and fuel migration within and from Africa.
Faal said: “the growth in the African labour force is the fastest globally, but successive years of robust macro-economic policies have not created the jobs required to absorb the increasingly growing labour market entrants or led to sufficient poverty reduction.
“The observed structural changes do not seem to be growth enhancing and lack an employment generation capability.”
He said that quality jobs were low as more people were drawn into the informal, predominantly family operated businesses.
“We see that about 82 per cent of African workers are in working poverty, compared to the world average of 39 per cent.
“What is worse, the youths who constitute majority of the population in all countries are carrying most of the burden of the labour market crisis,’’ Faal said.
According to him, the situation for Nigeria is much more frightening.
“The world population review estimates that Nigeria’s population is expected to double from about 200 million today to 401.3 million people by 2050.
“Youth population in Nigeria has tripled over the past 40 years and if not checked, it would exceed 130 million by 2063.
“And, this will need decent jobs to forestall a catastrophe beyond the magnitude we are currently experiencing,’’ he said.
Faal further quoted the National Bureau of Statistics, as saying that Nigeria has some of the highest unemployment rate of 23.1 and underemployment rate of 20.1 per cent in Africa.
“The figures are even more worrying for women with an unemployment rate of 26.6 per cent and 29. 7 for youths,” he said.
Faal therefore advocated bold political will and concerted sustainable policy efforts to facilitate Federal Government’s declaration that it would create 100 million jobs in Nigeria within 10 years.

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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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