By Florence Onuegbu

The United Nations Women and the Lagos State Government say they are collaborating to increase women’s participation in contract bidding.

Speaking during a Stakeholders Consultative Meeting at Ikeja, the Lagos State Head of Service, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola, said that women deserved all the encouragement and support of the state government, to enable them benefit more from opportunities in government’s procurement plans.

The Stakeholders Consultative Meeting had the theme: ”Affirmative Procurement for Women-owned Businesses in Lagos State”, and was organised by the UN Women, in collaboration with the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency.

Muri-Okunola said  there was need to ensure that competitiveness, inclusiveness, transparency and accountability, which were the distinguishing characteristics of a sound public procurement regime, were not compromised in the public procurement system.

Represented by Mrs Oluyemi Kalesanwo, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, he said that the state government was always concerned about issues affecting women and other vulnerable groups.

According to him, respective administrations in Lagos have formulated various policies and implemented many programmes that are specially designed to promote gender equity, women empowerment and increased access to social services by the vulnerable and others within these categories of the society.

”It has been generally acknowledged that women have the potentials for making positive contributions to the socio-economic development of societies and nations.

”Indeed, quite a number of women have proved their mettle in various professions, vocations and businesses, thereby contributing to the progress of mankind and the task of nation building, locally and internationally.

”It is also a widely held view that, given the right environment, opportunities and support to operate, women can do much more than they are currently doing in business and other areas of human endeavour,” he said.

In his goodwill message, the Lagos state  Commissioner for Finance, Dr Rabiu Olowo, said that the Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu led administration believed strongly in the policy of inclusivity, to enable all strata of society to contribute to government’s programmes and also benefit from opportunities in government.

Olowo, who is also the Chairman, Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, said that the government would leave no stone unturned to ensure that women, youth and the old were economically advantaged.

He said that it was the desire of the administration to accelerate growth and development of the state, which could only be achieved when all residents, within productive age of the society were encouraged and empowered to engage in fruitful activities.

”Women are known to be imbued with a resilient spirit, a factor which makes them a force to be reckoned with in the informal sector of the economy of the state,” Olowo said.

In his welcome address, the Director-General, Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, Mr Fatai Onafowote acknowledged that the involvement of women in the procurement process was low.

Onafowote said that the enabling Law of the agency – the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency Law 2021 – does not discriminate against any gender.

He said that the law mandated PPA to regulate public procurement in the state, ensure due process, accountability and value-for-money in government’s expenditure on goods and services provided for residents of the state.

”Hence, public procurement in the state has been largely concerned with ensuring inclusiveness, competitiveness and transparency, which give equal right to all registered contractors and service providers, regardless of their gender.

”But this can only be done through a deliberate policy of the State Government.

”Therefore, for the agency to implement a deliberate policy that will give special considerations to women-owned businesses in the award of contracts as being advocated by UN Women, there is the need to make relevant provisions in the enabling Law of the agency,” Onafowote said.

Mrs Patience Ekechukwu, Programme Officer, Women’s Economic Empowerment, UN Women Nigeria said that women-owned/led businesses were a growing share of all enterprises in many African countries.

Ekechukwu said that public procurement represented an attractive market for women entrepreneurs, since it accounted for 15 to 30 per cent of GDP globally.

She said that public procurement created market opportunities that had long been recognised as an engine for growth for small and medium enterprises.

According to her, yet women-owned Small and Medium Enterprises (WSME) are severely underrepresented as suppliers, securing only an estimated one per cent of procurement contracts.

”In Nigeria, women remain under-represented as entrepreneurs accessing public procurement opportunities. Furthermore, most women-led businesses are in the informal sector, which excludes them from the participation threshold outlined in the Public Procurement Act.

”The Act requires businesses, which seek to supply public goods and services to be formally registered. Since most women-led businesses are unregistered and function within the informal economy, they are automatically excluded.

”Also, there are other requirements relating to tax and annual turnover, which most women entrepreneurs do not meet either.

”Other common barriers encountered by women in accessing public procurement include, corruption, bribery, favoritism/nepotism in government structures, including in the form of sexual harassment and gender-based violence.

”Similarly, women entrepreneurs very often, encounter difficulties due to limited information around the drafting of bids and lack technical capacities to execute the contract,” she said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Vivian Ihechu

By Olatunde Ajayi

SIMS Digital Centres, the official representatives of Samsung, Royal, Panasonic and other international brands in Nigeria, has opened an ultra-modern branch in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The SIMS Executive Director (Corporate Services), Mr Fabian Uzor, in a statement on Wednesday said that the new SIMS Digital Centre would offer residents of the ancient city the quality and wide assortment of products.

Uzor said that the centre would provide residents and surrounding environs the best of electronics and home appliances where the value of a customer is a priority.

“Consumers do not have to go too far to enjoy the best combination of quality and price,” he said.

Uzor stated that the ultra-modern experience centre guarantees efficient customer service backed by innovative technology and excellent after-sales support to all customers.

“In line with this people-oriented market positioning, SIMS is also celebrating the opening of the new Digital Centre by offering amazing giveaways to members of the public as they make their purchases.

“The magnificent Ibadan outlet is the latest in SIMS’ continuously expanding network of very attractive digital centres strategically spread across major cities in Nigeria, like Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Onitsha, Owerri, Awka, Kaduna and Uyo,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the new SIMS state-of-the-art multi-level outlet was located at 224, Awolowo Way, Oke-Ado Street, Ibadan, Oyo State. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

Prof. Paul Griffith, TEXEM UK Faculty

By Abigael Joshua.

Paul Griffith, a London Business School-trained professor, has asserted that self-awareness is a compulsory management requirement for an organisation to succeed.

Griffith, who spoke in an interview session on the website of TEXEM UK (www.texem.co.uk), announced that he would be a faculty member at the TEXEM virtual session on “Self-awareness for Better Management of Change in Uncertain Times” from Feb. 11 to March 4.

The faculty, the world’s first Professor of Management to lead a team to launch a rocket, will share insights into why leaders should be more self-aware in the present uncertain times; at the capacity development programme.

Griffith also elaborated more on his role during the coming programme.

“I will explore the topic of “translating strategy into action. One of the critical challenges for any organisation is effectively executing its strategy.

“Over the last 20 years, research has consistently shown that 70 per cent of strategies fail to deliver the intended outcomes they were conceived to deliver.

“If organisations can address this issue, then they will significantly impact their performance,” he said.

Griffith said that self – awareness is essential for organisations because

a leader needs to create the best environment for his people to flourish.

He said that understanding one’s strengths and response to challenging situations helps one engage with people to ensure they can be supported as individuals to deliver exceptional results.

Griffith said the programme is pertinent to the needs of leaders all over the world

because understanding oneself is a crucial insight that successful leaders possess.

“Leadership is the ability to have people follow you. But first, you must know yourself before expecting people to follow you.

“Knowing your strengths and areas for development is a key part of maturing as a leader, and it helps leaders to recognise these traits in others to build successful organisations.

“We need to be aware of our reactions to situations so that we are able to empathise and engage with others around us more effectively, and that is why this TEXEM UK programme is relevant and necessary for all organisations,” he said.

According to Griffith,

the programme will leverage TEXEM UK’s tested and proven methodology that has helped over 4,000 executives win globally.

He spoke further on the benefits executives will gain from participating in the programme.

“This TEXEM UK programme allows executives to develop their self – awareness through a range of concepts, tools, and experiential sessions in a supportive environment.

“As a result, executives will gain insights into their talents and how to leverage them for their organisation’s benefit and “turbocharge” their careers,” Griffith said.

Another faculty member expected at the programme, Prof. Roger Delves, an Oxford alumnus, also shared insights into how leaders could win through better self-awareness.

Delves said there was no doubt that people presently live in times of enormous change.

“We are not the first to do so, but change and accompanying uncertainty are here and show no signs of departing. Therefore, leaders need to be self-aware to lead with clarity and purpose,” he said.

According to Delves, “Self-awareness is understanding what is important about me — my values, purpose, needs, strengths, weaknesses, and so on”.

“The more self-aware I am, the more confident I am, the more sure-footed I am around decision-making, and the more likely I am to be able to tell others what I stand for.

“Thus, offering them expectations of behaviour around concepts like personal integrity, for example, which are very important to followers or team members, if you want them to follow you.

“Leaders who lack this awareness will find that change and uncertainty are hard to lead through, and their followers will find such leaders unequal to the task,” he said.

Delves said the TEXEM UK programme is a rare opportunity for leaders and managers to immerse themselves in learning how to be better at what they do.

Delves also said that “an essential programme like this is packed with proven ways to do things better, ways to approach things better, ways to think about things better, and ways to resolve things better”.

“It is exactly what all managers need to take that step up to the next performance level,” he added.

Delves said participants would be guided by robust models that have repeatedly proven their efficiency and effectiveness in businesses worldwide.

Amb. Charles Crawford and Prof. Randall Peterson of London Business School are two other faculties that would help deliver the live sessions of the programme. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Razak Owolabi

By Constance Athekame

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), says its Alagbon 330/132/33kV Transmission Substation in Lagos recently received truckloads of 2 x 100/125 Mega Volt Ampree (MVA) power transformers and accessories.

Mrs Ndidi Mbah, General Manager, Public Affairs, TCN, in a statement in Abuja on Saturday, said that the transformers, on installation, would increase the capacity of Alagbon Substation to 480 Mega Watts (MW).

According to her, TCN’s Ijora 132/33kV Transmission Substation, Lagos, also took delivery of trucks containing one number 100MVA transformer and accessories at its 132/33kV.

She said that the transformer and accessories delivered at Ijora substation would add 80MW to the capacity of the substation.

”TCN’s Ota 132/33kV Substation in Ogun received truckloads of transformer accessories only.

”The 1X100/125 MVA, 132/33kV transformer will, however, be delivered to Ota Transmission Substation by next week.

”On the other hand, TCN’s Egbin in Ikorodu, Lagos 330/132kV Transmission Substation took delivery of 330kV and 132kV switch gears and accessories.

”These equipment are for the replacement of all obsolete 330kV and 132kV switchgears for efficient operation of the grid.

Mbah said that all these projects were part of TCN’s ongoing World Bank funded projects and in line with TCN’s policy on the efficient execution of its grid expansion plan.

She said that the projects were being vigorously pursued to ensure their timely execution and completion. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Chidinma Agu/Vincent Obi

By Victor Okoye

A Nigerian Tech Firm, PX PropertyHub, has called for partnership with the federal government in order to showcase its efforts to bridge the gap in the real estate sector.

Barr. Nonye Nwabueze, General Manager, Operations/Legal of PX PropertyHub, made the remarks during the official unveiling of the firm’s innovative online real estate platform on Saturday in Abuja.

She said that there was a need for collaboration with the federal government to help Nigerians build long lasting wealth through Real Estate, leveraging on technology and experience.

“The Federal Ministry of Works and Housing is doing so much in this regard, trying to create several mortgage financing activities.

“We are calling for partnership to showcase what the federal government is equally doing in the sector to provide affordable housing for Nigerians as well as checkmate the activities of fraudsters in the sector.

“If what the federal government is doing is not made visible to the public, Nigerians will not be aware and be able to key in.

“So, I commend the ministry of works and housing for what it is doing to bridge the gap in the real estate sector. I encourage them to do more,” she said.

She noted that the new technological-driven option by PX PropertyHub stands out, adding that it is a massive and fast-growing digital platform geared towards engaging willing buyers to their choice property across the globe.

“The platform showcases available property to everyone resident in and anywhere in the world.

“It is a global platform and we are not stopping at this. We also have what we call “PX Stay” where we equally showcase hotel owners, apartments, car rentals and others.

“It is actually a listing platform for anyone who wants to buy, sell or rent genuine properties,” she said.

Chief Charles Ndudim, a beneficiary of the platform, said the issue of housing must be treated as a fundamental basic right of every citizen in the country.

He said the federal government and the corporate world must collaborate to deal with the issues and challenges in the real estate sector just as it is been done in other climes.

“In other developing countries such as Nigeria, to deal with the issues of housing, we have to see it as a fundamental human basic right of every Nigerian.

“Every man under the sun needs a roof over his head, but there are economic implications and challenges in the sector as not everybody can afford it.

“However, what other developing countries have done is to find ways of creating intervention programmes for the poor people, especially in the rural areas.

“It empowers developers to work closely with government through proper policies and regulations that will allow developers to invest their money in the sector and know that their money will come back.

“So, government and the corporate world must come together and collaborate in such a way as what PX PropertyHub is doing to aggregate all these houses and make them visible to meet the needs of all Nigerians.

“I therefore encourage everyone to take advantage of this revolutionary platform that is making life easier like Amazon and the likes,” he said.

Also speaking, Alhaji Musa Mantu, another beneficiary of the platform, said with the property hub, he has secured affordable and reliable property in parts of the country without falling prey to scammers.

Against popular view that Dubai is the destination for good property and tourism, Mantu said, “Nigeria is taking its place in the comity of Nations in terms of real estate.

“It has never been this strong in history. In Abuja for example, from City gate to the airport, the kind of real estate development going there is massive.

“Nigeria is the next global real estate destination, forget about Dubai. Come and invest in Nigeria. Nigeria is a place to live, work and do good business.

“PX PropertyHub is the number one middle man between the buyer and seller.

“I’m a direct beneficiary of it. I have also introduced my family members and friends who enjoyed what I benefited from because we rise by lifting others.

“Nigeria is not just the giant of Africa. Nigeria is leading others in many good things,” he said.

Chuka Okafor, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the firm, said he is a young entrepreneur who saw a gap in the real estate sector and decided to proffer solutions to the issues and challenges in the sector.

He stressed the need for investors to take advantage of the hassle-free and convenient platform to rent and purchase their house dreams.

Okafor said that the platform can also connect holiday makers with preferred hotel and any tourist destination.

“PX PropertyHub is a modern Real Estate Platform, connecting buyers, sellers and owners with the industry’s top professionals through technology that empowers you by making all things Real Estate simple, intelligent and seamless.

“We have built our Real Estate Hub to serve as a platform that streamlines the tedious process of selling, buying, renting, managing and financing property.

“We offer our users a fresh, quick and hassle-free approach to the common challenges of finding and buying a property specific to one’s needs and preferences.

“Using the power of technology, we have built a platform, www.pxpropertyhub.com, that enables people to connect differently and provide a strong supportive network of real estate professionals that are able to find solutions to common challenges.

“We are a team of service oriented professionals, pool of agents and brokers and a network of real estate professionals in one roof,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Vincent Obi

Commodities

By Lucy Ogalue

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and Zeenab Foods Ltd. have commenced the shipment of agro-commodities to Nigerian Export Trade House in China.

Mr Victor Ayamere, the Managing Director of the group said this during the kick-off of shipment of the commodities in Idu Industrial Layout on Thursday in Abuja.

Ayamere, who said 20 containers were being shipped today through Onne port in Rivers, expressed optimism that more would be exported within 45 days.

”We have 17 containers of ginger and three sesame seed containers leaving here. And we are going to move an average of 300 containers within the next 45 days,” he said.

The managing director stressed the need for youths, especially NYSC corps members to develop interest in export business to ensure continuity, boost job opportunities and grow the economy.

He urged Nigerians, who were interested in shipping those commodities to liaise with the group to ensure ease in exportation of the products.

On challenges, he said it was difficult to move the commodities to the ports due to bad roads and there was also non-availability of sophisticated machines to speed up the process.

He commended NEPC for the establishment of the trade house, while urging the Federal Government to ensure a level playing ground to enable the business to thrive.

The Executive Director/CEO of NEPC, Dr Ezra Yakusak urged Nigerian exporters to leverage on the platform to increase exports of Nigerian goods to China and the entire Asian continent.

Yakusak, who was represented by the Director, Market Access Department in NEPC, Mr Babatunde Faleke said Zeenab, with the support of NEPC, acquired, set-up its offices and concluded its business registration in China.

”We also acquired the General Administration of Customs (GACC) of the People’s Republic of China for ginger and sesame seed, while awaiting approval for other products,” he explained.

According to him, the Export Trade House is being managed on Public-Private Partnership to provide visibility for Nigerian products in the targeted country and region.

”Zeenab Foods Ltd. has now commenced shipment of Nigerian products to China.

”Today witnesses the first official shipment of 20 containers of ginger and sesame seeds worth 1.311million dollars through the Onne port in Rivers to the Nigerian Export Trade House in China.

”The shipment is expected to arrive China within 45 days. This will facilitate the official launch of the Nigerian Export Trade House in China before the end of March 2023.

”NEPC is also calling on Nigerian Ports Authority and other relevant organisations to as a matter of urgency, consider the provision of necessary infrastructure in the other smaller ports in the country.

”This is to ease the congestion at the Apapa Port and make export seamless, ” the NEPC boss said.

The Chinese representative, Mr Allen Zhang said the monetary value of trade between Nigeria and China in 2022 stood at 26 billion dollars.

According to him, the figure is twice higher than the trade between China and Ghana, four times higher than that of Kenya and six times higher than their trade with Cameroun.

While commending the trade relations with Nigeria, Zhang expressed China’s readiness to import more agricultural commodities from Nigeria. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Grace Yussuf