By Lucy Ogalue

The Federal Government has inaugurated an Export Mentorship Programme (EMP) to boost the non-oil export sector of the country.

The Executive Director of NEPC, Nonye Ayeni, while inaugurating the programme in Abuja, said the development and promotion of non-oil exports was one of NEPC’s key mandates.

Ayeni said the programme would attach budding exporters to manufacturing exporters for an agreed period for the purpose of learning the rudiments of non-oil export business.

She said that EMP was borne out of the need to enhance the performance of Nigeria’s non-oil export sector.

She said: ‘through provision of a veritable platform for learning, unlearning, and relearning of new exporters from the established ones in a practical manner.

”NEPC has over the years worked proactively to fulfill her mandate through the execution of numerous programmes and activities.

”All with the main aim of diversifying the nation’s economy away from reliance on crude oil as the mono product of the economy.”

Ayeni said the inauguration of EMP was a proactive step at ensuring that skill gaps and other obstacles affecting export performance were reduced to the barest minimum.

She said EMP was unique because it adopted a practical hands-on approach, whereby willing mentees were attached to performing exporters for tutelage on the entire process of non-oil export business.

”The Council’s decision to adopt EMP strategy in raising a new crop of skilled exporters is based on global statistics.

”It shows that less than 10 per cent of beginner exporters can successfully transit from prospective to performing exporters within their first three – five years of establishment.

”The reasons for failure to survive the early stage of business formation are largely attributed to the inability of the beginners to master the complex terrain of export business,” Ayeni said.

The executive director commended the mentors, saying their efforts would enable the trainees to become contributors to the food security index in Nigeria.

She sought for more volunteers in raising a crop of indigenous exporters to create jobs and boost foreign earnings for the nation.

Ayeni also called on other stakeholders to support the exporters, while assuring of NEPC’s continued commitment to the diversification of Nigeria’s export trade.

”We are open to ideas on how to continually improve the EMP we have started. Feel free to reach out as we are partners in progress on this journey,” she said. (NAN)

Edited by Mark Longyen/Ese E. Eniola Williams

By Lucy Ogalue

Experts and stakeholders have deliberated on ways of developing circular economy initiative with a view to giving it a strong government policy backing in the country.

They made the call at the Circular Economy Roundtable organised by the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) on Tuesday in Abuja.

The event with the theme, ‘Harmonisation and Policy Development for the Nigeria Circular Economy, aims to deliberate on policy by the Nigerian government to utilise waste in the country for reusable for other purposes.

Mr Adetokunbo Kayode, the President, Nigeria Private Sector Alliance, said the roundtable would assist the government and stakeholders in setting clear agenda to develop the policy and the circular economy.

Kayode, a former Minister of Justice, said the meeting was critical to national development, considering the volume of waste produced in Nigeria and the fresh opportunities to convert the waste to national wealth.

“We generate a lot of waste with the population of more than two hundred and ten million (210, 000, 000). Nigeria is one of the six or seven largest waste generators in the world.

“Some people call it polluters, but that is not so, you must generate so far what you consume, the more consumption, the more things you use, the more waste you generate.

“The whole essence of circular economy is to utilise this waste as a source of raw materials and as a fresh opportunity to reuse for a purpose, whatever we called waste.

“The purpose of this roundtable is to help us assist both government and ourselves in setting a clear agenda for the development of the policy as well as the economy itself, ” he said.

He said in the world today, there were four new economies namely digital, green, creative and circular economy.

According to him, these are new fields of opportunities capable of producing a lot of values and wealth, hence the need for Nigeria government to key into the initiative.

“Government needs to immediately endorse, recognise, accept the circular economy. Circular economy is multi-sectoral with principally around the environmental economy, ” he said.

Also, Mr Collins Opigo, the representative of the Ministry of Environment said achieving such initiative required a lot of things.

He said that the ministry had recognised the initiative which could boost the nation’s economy.

“Other developed countries had gone far with the economy. In Nigeria as well, a lot of things have to be done. Nevertheless, a lot of programmes are already ongoing in that regard.

“There are basic documents that have promoted circular economy concept before. But specifically in terms of capturing the word circular economy and enthroning its enabling activities is very much underway.

“And we have been talking about roadmap that the ministry is trying to develop and of course it needs more consultations,” he said.

Similarly, Mr Chukwudi Nwabuisiaku, a representative from the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), said the agency had a vision for a cleaner and healthier Nigeria.

The mission of the agency according to him, is to inspire personal and collective responsibility towards building an environmentally conscious society.

“And that. Is why we are here because wherever it has to do with public engagement, we always like to participate because the agency cannot do it alone.

“And we want to create that environmental consciousness that everyone of us should be aware of our environmental protection,”Nwabuisiaku said.

He said NESREA was in deep partnership with circular economy project which the agency had in the year 2012 to 2014, started conversation about the circular economy initiative.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the forum drew experts and stakeholders from ministries, agencies, organised private sector to deliberate on the initiative which according to them, is critical to national development. (NAN)

Edited by Ese E. Eniola Williams

By Okeoghene Akubuike

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Bagudu, has called for a robust, and inclusive national statistical system in Nigeria.

Bagudu said this at the National Stakeholders’ Workshop on the Production of National Strategy for the Development of Statistics (NSDS) Phase III 2024-2028 in Abuja on Tuesday.

Bagudu, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Neboolisa Anako, said the new NSDS would bridge existing gaps and challenges in the statistical system.

“This will set the stage for a unified, integrated, and comprehensive data production system that accurately reflects our current realities.

“It is our collective endeavour to ensure that the new NSDS not only addresses the strategic issues of the past five years but also anticipates and adapts to the evolving statistical landscape.”

He said statistics would play a vital role in assessing the implementation of the Federal Government’s Eight-Point Agenda of President Bola Tinubu led administration.

“Hence, strengthening the statistical system is paramount to evaluating the current position and subsequent progress of the current administration.”

The minister said collaboration among stakeholders could not be overemphasised in the successful implementation of the 2024-2028 NSDS.

“I would like to express my profound gratitude to all stakeholders, Development Partners, and other participants who have joined us in this endeavour.

“I look forward to witnessing the transformative impact of the NSDS Phase III on our statistical system and its vital role in Nigeria’s development, ” he said.

The Statistician-General of the Federation, Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, said the 2024-2028 NSDS would serve as a guiding light to steer the country towards a modernised and transformed statistical system.

Adeniran said some key principles were to be considered during the process of developing the new strategy.

He said the new strategy must be inclusive, catering to the needs of all segments of the society, leaving no one behind.

“This means addressing data gaps related to marginalised groups, regions, and sectors. This includes issues pertaining to gender, persons with disability and those at the local government level.”

Adeniran said another key principle was to ensure quality and accuracy of the nation’s statistical system by continuously striving for excellence in data collection, analysis, and dissemination to maintain the trust of users.

“Hence the importance of the quality of the output, soundness of the methodology and processes, and the robustness of our data sources, cannot be understated, they are extremely vital, and due attention must be paid to it.”

He said another principle of innovation and technology must be crafted in the new strategy by embracing the latest technological advancements to streamline data collection, analysis, reporting, and dissemination processes.

Adeniran said sustained investment in the development of human capital resources and partnerships with international organisations, academia, and the private sector should be at the heart of the new strategy.

“The continuous training and re-training of personnel of the statistical system, as well as opportunities for exposure and exchanges and interactions with colleagues from other statistical systems is not only desirable but should be an essential element to strategy.

“We cannot and should not continue to operate in silence, our best results and output are realised when we collaborate and partner with each other.

“So we need to be more intentional and deliberate about it, and this should form a pivotal part of the strategy in the next five years.

” I believe if we imbibe these five principles in making our contributions toward the drafting of the new NSDS, we will be doing a great service to the development of the statistical system, and to our nation.”

Utz Pape, the Lead Economist and Lead Poverty Team at the World Bank, reiterated that the bank was funding statistics to encourage all stakeholders to actually use the data.

Pape said it was important to look at the national statistical system in an integrated way.

He said the World bank not only engaged with the NBS but other Ministries, Departments and Agencies that were data players in the system, like the Ministry of Health and Education.

Pape said that it was important not to stop at the federal level but move vertically to the state level to have an integrated statistical system.

“This is why it is really important to not just think at the federal level but think about the states and how this can really become an inclusive and integrated national statistical system based on data.”

He said to ensure that data was used properly, there must be a national data system.

“A unified platform in which all the different data producers can feed in data, where different users can access the data, of course,while observing the privacy of any respondents. ”

Sen. Yahaya Abdullahi, Chairman, Senate Committee on National Planning and Economic Affairs, called on the Statistician-General not to depend on the old order, but depend on a system in line with current realities.

“We must chart a way that is inclusive and come up with a more resilient and responsive statistical system that adapts to the evolving needs of our nation.

Abdullahi represented by the Deputy Committe Chairman, Sen. Kenneth Nze, said all stakeholders had a role to play in these critical economic times in order to make a change.

Rep. Ibrahim Isiaka, House Committee Chairman on National Planning and Economic Development, said it was imperative to capture the informal sectors within the economy of Nigeria in the new strategy.

Isiaka said the house was admonishing the NBS to further extend its tentacles on data on goods and products that Nigeria has comparative advantages.

He assured the NBS that the National Assembly will amend its laws to grant the bureau autonomy.

“I assure you by the special grace of God that if you want that autonomy we are going to amend that Act with the speed of light.”

There were goodwill messages from other stakeholders including Sen. Sani Shehu. (NAN)

Edited by Ese E. Eniola Williams

By Kadiri Abdulrahman

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says it has no be plans to redenominate Nigeria’s legal tender, the Naira.

CBN’s Director, Corporate Communications Department, Isa AbdulMumim, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there had been social a media message in circulation about plans by the apex bank to redenominate the Naira by cancelling two zeros from the currency.

According to AbdulMumim, there is no truth in the message.

“The attention of the CBN has been drawn to the wide circulation of a text message suggesting that the apex bank plans to redenominate the country’s legal tender, the Naira, with effect from January 2024.

“We are concerned that this narrative, which we had refuted before now, appears to be gaining traction with several debates on the implication of such policy to the economy.

“We wish to reiterate that the contents of the message are misleading.

“The authors, in their mischief, modified text eked from old policy move by a previous CBN governor in 2007 to make it look recent,” he said.

AbdulMumim said that there was currently no plan by the CBN to restructure and redenominate the Naira.

“Whilst the apex bank may be considering reforms, such are subject to laid down procedure in line with provisions of the CBN Act.

“The public in hereby advised to ignore the news report, as it is speculative and calculated to cause panic,” he said. (NAN)

Edited by Ifeyinwa Omowole