The Nigeria African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Coordination Office says Customs operations play a critical role on the continent to success of the AfCFTA Agreement.

Mr Olusegun Awolowo, the National Coordinator of the Office, said this at a workshop on Thursday in Abuja.

The workshop was organised by the AfCTA Coordination Office in collaboration with the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).

“We are so lucky that in Nigeria, our own customs has really geared up to the task, right from the inception of when we were negotiating for this agreement.

” The NCS has been a very pivotal part of it. That is why they were chosen to be the Designated Competent Authority (DCA).

“So the essence of this workshop is to talk to them and interact on the necessary steps forward, what we are supposed to do.

“At the end of the meeting, the Customs Service is now more client-centric.They have now resolved to help and make trade for exporters more seamless,” Awolowo said.

As part of his recommendations, the coordinator restated the importance for strengthened capacity building for customs officers at the exit points and Command Posts.

Awolowo said there was a need for the country to adopt and leverage technology for efficient trade facilitation and foster public-private collaboration to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in trade expansion.

“I am confident that with the continued zeal of the Comptroller-General (C-G) and his team with the collaboration of all stakeholders, Nigeria will fulfil its obligations under AfCFTA.

“It will also lead the continent in harnessing the immense opportunities presented by this agreement.

“Together, we will ensure that trade thrives and that Nigeria reaps the full benefits of AfCFTA. The question will then change from is Nigeria ready for AfCFTA, to is AfCFTA ready for Nigeria?” he said.

For his part, the Comptroller-General of NCS, Bashir Adeniyi, expresses the readiness of the service to implement the agreement, saying it is waiting for gazetting by the Federal Government.

Adeniyi, represented by the Deputy Comptroller- General, on Tariff and Trade, Caroline Niagwan, said the AfCFTA implementation would among other things, promote industrialisation, create jobs and frow the economy.

“I would just say we are just waiting for the gazetting by the Federal Government, because we are ready to implement.

“Once the trade takes place properly, African exporters will benefit. It will enhance competitiveness, promote intra-African trade, grow investments, which will lead to sustainable development within the region,” Adeniyi said.

The C-G expressed the committment of the NCS   to modernising its operations by leaveraging digital tools that enhanced transparency and ensured facilitating the process.

Also speaking , Muhammed Ladan, the former Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies reiterated the benefits of AfCFTA and the role the customs must play to ensure its full implementation.

“You can only enhance trade facilitation when you simplify the process. Customs need to adopt the key guiding principles of Transparency, simplification, harmonisation and standardisation.

“The responsibility of customs is to utilise these principles to ensure that trade supply chains are unhindered, this in turn will make them more efficient and effective in conducting their mandate on AfCFTA,” Ladan said.

Similarly, Mrs Demitta Gyang, the Director, Customs administration, AfCFTA Secretariat, said the role of customs was key as they could make or mar the agreement.

Representing the Afrexim Bank, Mr Benoit Messi, the Senior Manager Commodities Finance, reiterated the importance for the country and continent at large to trade with each other.

“We need to shape ourselves into an appealing market place so that investors will see us as opportunities and invest in us.

” We at Afreximbank consider intra-African trade as the new wealth of Africa. We need to take the opportunities presented to us through implementation of AfCFTA, ” he said.(NAN)

By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

The World Health Organisation, WHO, on Thursday, raised alarm over 5.3 million shortages of health workers in Africa by 2030. Muyiwa Ojo, Technical Office, WHO, revealed this at a two-day capacity training organised by WHO in Abuja. The title of his paper presentation is ‘Interventions to improve Human resources for Health in Nigeria’.

He also lamented the shortages of Medical Doctors in Nigeria, he said though Nigeria is not doing badly with about 86, 548 doctors in the country with a population of over 200,000 people, the nation needs at least double that number (173,096), doctors to effectively cover rhe population. According to ojo, “Lagos alone has about 20% (17, 309), doctors while the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, has about 10% and the other 35 states share the remaining 70%. “The strength of every health system reflects the capacity and adequacy of its health workforce which are necessary to deliver quality services to address population health needs. “Africa has the third largest absolute shortage of health workers in the world with a shortfall of almost 1 million health workers. “Nigeria leads the Africa continent in the magnitude and unpack brain drain on its health workforce. Nigeria is one of the 55 health workforce support and safe guard countries, identified by WHO as having the most pressing, Universal Health Care, UHC- related health workforce needs – WHO 2023.”The main HRH planning, uniformed, policy decisions, inadequate recruitment and retention strategies and inadequate training capacity”.He continued, “In Africa 150,000 new health workers graduate annually. Over 4,000 educational institutions produce new health workers and over 40% private sector . 2.8 million doctors, nurses, midwives , pharmacists, and dentists in 2020 than in 2013, but not matching the pace of population growth and demographic shift.”5.3 million Health workers shortages in the region projected by 2030, half of the global shortages. 32% Health workforce strategies and plans have no funds commitment. 43% funding gap for Health workforce employment. 1 in 3 Health workforce are unemployed or underemployed. 45% intend to migrate in the future data from four countries showing Nigeria level of migration intentions”.He noted, “52% nurses and midwives in 2022 chose to migrate to United Kingdom, UK, while United States, US, was 36% and other countries 12%. Shortages of competent and motivated Health workers with the appropriate skills mix. “The shortage Health workers results from labour market failures linked to education and absorption capacity as well as high levels of attrition particularly migration”. In his second presentation titled ‘Migration of Health Workers and impact on Health and Safety Solutions, HSS, Muyiwa Ojo, said “Globally there are 65.1 million Health workers in 2020, 29.1 million nurses, 12.7 million medical Doctors, 3.7 million pharmacists, 2.5 million dentists, 2.2 million midwives and 14.9 million for all other occupations”.”The projected Health Workforce size is established to grow by 29% by 2030 – to 84 million health workers. With recent data, the global Health Workforce shortage of 15 million health workers in 2020, likely to decrease to 10 million health workers by 2030.”Despite an expected 33% decrease globally, that of the African regionn. Shortage is projected to reduce by 15%.”Nigeria, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Ghana are the leading foreign supplies of nurses to the UK, outside of the European Union and after Philippines and India “.

The Borno Police Command on Wednesday says it has recaptured a 24 year old Auwalu Aminu, also known as “Auwalu Kirkir.”

Aminu is an escaped convict who had been serving a jail term for criminal conspiracy and theft.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Daso, Aminu was one of the inmates who escaped from the Medium Security Custodian Center in Maiduguri following a jailbreak caused by the collapse of the prison’s fence during the devastating floods in September this year.

Daso said that the police received a credible tip-off that Aminu had been sighted in Banki town, “a situation that motivated the Bama Area Command, Banki Divisional Headquarters, to promptly deploy a patrol team.

“Aminu was successfully apprehended on Oct. 16, and is now in the police custody.”

The command’s image maker explained that the escaped convict has been profiled and would be handed over to the Nigeria Correctional Service for further action.

He added that the Commissioner of Police, CP Mohammed Lawal-Yusufu, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to public safety and urged citizens to report any suspicious activity or information about fugitives. (NAN)