BUSINESS
Revive Industrial Estates to Stem Collapse of Industry – CPPE
The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprises (CPPE) said industrial estates across the country must be revitalised to avoid the collapse of the industrial sector and curb unemployment.
Its CEO, Dr Muda Yusuf, gave the advice in his keynote address at the Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI) 6th Trade Fair on Tuesday in Lagos.
Yusuf noted that many factory premises around the country had been taken over for activities order than manufacturing.According to him, some of the key activities that have taken over the factory premises include event centres, supermarkets, worship centres, warehouses for imported finished goods among others.
He added that evidences could be found in industrial estates located in Ilupeju, Ogba, Ikeja, Sango-Ota, Agbara and many other parts of the country including the east and north.
Yusuf said factors responsible for de-industrialisation included influx of cheap and substandard products, foreign exchange crisis, high energy costs, multiple taxation, weak domestic patronage and policy inconsistency.“There are inadequate basic industries to support our manufacturing enterprises and such basic industries include the iron – steel and petrochemical industries. “Also, weak infrastructural base, high cost of fund, absence of long-term funds, challenges of access to credit by MSMEs as well as other firms in the sector, hinder manufacturing performance.
The SME sector accounts for over 50 per cent of GDP but has access to only 1 per cent of bank credit to the private sector. “This demonstrates the enormity of the funding challenges that are faced by small businesses. “Also, Research and Development (R &D) does not attract sufficient investments needed to promote industrialisation alongside low industrial space and absence of innovation,” he said.
As way forward, the CPPE boss pushed that systemic issues of infrastructure should be addressed as a matter of utmost priority with immediate focus on electricity supply and logistics.
Yusuf said unless these two critical infrastructure were in place, it would be very difficult to ensure a competitive industrial sector and to make possible the transformation of the sector. “We should fix the foreign exchange liquidity and currency depreciation issues, address concerns about unfair competition from imported finished goods and regulatory and institutional problems affecting MSMES.
“Also, challenges of access to credit, cost of credit and tenure of funds should be addressed. “We should focus on labour-intensive industries to enhance job creation and promote economic inclusion and take full advantage of the large Nigerian market to scale up our industrial capacity utilisation.
“We need to support the small businesses with business development skills as well as technical skills in our drive towards industrialisation,” he said. Yusuf also called for policies and legislation compelling large enterprises and foreign companies to sub contract aspects of their operations and activities to the indigenous SMEs.
This, he said, was necessary to foster linkages and to build inclusiveness in the industrialisation process. “Linkages between large and small enterprises impact positively on industrialisation and also facilitate the building of an inclusive industrial ecosystem.
“Some of the channels of these linkages include: subcontracting, licensing, joint ventures, strategic alliance, consortium and a wide range of vertical linkages. “These linkages are very critical to industrialisation and economic growth, especially in developing economies,” he said. (NAN)
The Nigerian Exchange Ltd. (NGX) continued its bullish trend on Wednesday, gaining N183 billion.
Accordingly, the market capitalisation, which opened at N59.532 trillion, gained N184 billion or 0.31 per cent to close at N59.715 trillion.
The All-Share Index also added 0.31 per cent or 303 points, to settle at 98,509.
68, against 98,206. 97 recorded on Tuesday.Consequently, the Year-To-Date (YTD) return increased to 31.
74 per cent.Gains in Aradel Holdings, Zenith Bank, United Bank For Africa(UBA), Oando Plc, Nigerian Breweries among other advanced equities drove the market performance up.
Market breadth closed positive with 34 gainers and 17 losers.
On the gainers’ chart, Africa Prudential, Conoil and RT Briscoe led by 10 per cent each to close at N14.30, N352 and N2.42 per share, respectively.
Golden Guinea Breweries followed by 9.95 per cent to close at N7.18, while NEM Insurance rose by 9.74 per cent to close at N10.70 per share.
On the other hand, Julius Berger led the losers’ chart by 10 per cent to close at N155.25, Secure Electronic Technology Plc trailed by 9.52 per cent to close at 57k per share.
Multiverse lost 7.63 per cent to close at N5.45, Haldane McCall dropped 6.07 per cent to close at N4.95 and Honeywell Flour shed 5.62 per cent to close at N4.70 per share.
Analysis of the market activities showed trade turnover settled lower relative to the previous session, with the value of transactions down by 49.44 per cent.
A total of 320.10 million shares valued at N6.48 billion were exchanged in 7,943 deals, compared with 939.41 million shares valued at N12.81billion traded in 9,098 deals posted in the previous session.
Meanwhile, ETranzact led the activity chart in volume with 70.27 million shares, while Aradel led in value of deals worth N1.22 billion.(NAN)
The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi, or the Yuan, weakened 22 pips to 7.1870 against the dollar on Monday.This is according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System.In China’s spot foreign exchange market, the Yuan is allowed to rise or fall by two per cent from the central parity rate each trading day.
The central parity rate of the Yuan against the dollar is based on a weighted average of prices offered by market makers before the opening of the interbank market each business day. (Xinhua/NAN)
Arewa Youths Initiative for Energy Reforms (AYIFER), has urged Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) to do everything possible to bring Kaduna Refinery back into operation.
National Coordinator of the group, Mr Bashir Al’Amin, stated this in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja.
Al’Amin specifically called on the Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Mallam Mele Kyari, to do all within his powers to rejuvenate the refinery and bring it up to global standard.
He said that having delivered the Port Harcourt refinery, coupled with the establishment of Dangote Refinery in Lagos, attention should be shifted to Kaduna refinery for easy spread of petroleum products.
“We are calling on Malam Mele Kyari to expedite action on Kaduna refinery so we can be at par with other regions in the country.
“We equally beg the NNPCL to do professional work in rehabilitating the old refinery and deliver a standard and functional petrochemical refinery and not a blending plant.
“Kyari should resist any temptation that could make him do something that can jeopardise his good image,” he said.
Al’Amin said that since the extinction of groundnut pyramid and textiles in Kano State as well as PAN in Kaduna State and with the Kaduna refinery getting moribund, a lot of youths had lost their jobs.
According to him, all their hopes in the north are tied to the legacy refinery, expressing the hope that God would use Kyari to deliver it well and on time.
He said that the group was solidly behind NNPCL in prayer and would be ready to celebrate the company if its expectations were met. (NAN)
NDA Commandant Decorates Ombugadu, Others as Fellows of Solar Energy Society of Nigeria
ShareFrom Abel Zwànke, Lafia The 2023 gubernatorial candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State, His Excellency Rt....
Yuletide: Bode George Urges Tinubu to Reduce Petrol Price
ShareChief Bode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has urged President Bola Tinubu to...
Tinubu Set for Groundbreaking of Renewed Hope City in Lagos
Share President Bola Tinubu, is set to perform the groundbreaking of 2,000 housing units of the Renewed Hope City in...
Gov. Alia Presents N550.1bn as 2025 Budget Estimate to Benue Assembly
ShareGov. Hyacinth Alia on Wednesday presented the sum of N550.1bn as the 2025 appropriation bill to the Benue State House...
Tax Bills: NASS will not Betray the Trust of Nigerians, says Akpabio
Share The President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, says the National Assembly will prioritise the interest of all Nigerians...
Alia Has Demonstrated Capacity, Courage to Entrench Good Governance—Speaker
Share The Speaker, Benue Assembly, Mr Hyacinth Dajo, has said that Gov. Hyacinth Alia has so far demonstrated capacity, courage,...
Investors Gain N183bn on NGX
Share The Nigerian Exchange Ltd. (NGX) continued its bullish trend on Wednesday, gaining N183 billion. Accordingly, the market capitalisation, which...
Energy, Solid Minerals Top Priority, Tinubu Tells German Businessmen
Share President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, assured the German government and businessmen of Nigeria’s preparedness to expand frontiers for investors...
Nigerian Who Wrote WASSCE 17 Times Bags Distinction from London School
Share Dr Emmanuel Ahmadu, a Nigerian who wrote the West Africa School Senior Certificate Education 17 times, has earned a...
INEC Staff Welfare Association Warns Members Against Manipulating Election Results
Share The Abia Chapter of the INEC Staff Welfare Association (ISWA) has warned its members to uphold the integrity of...