Connect with us

News

Contributions of Dr. Sam Nujoma in Trade, Business Development Not Well Documented, Says NNCC

Published

on

Contributions of Dr. Sam Nujoma in Trade, Business Development Not Well Documented, Says NNCC

By: Michael Mike

The President of the Nigeria-Namibia Chamber of Commerce (NNCC), Mr. Ben Gbade Ojo has lamented that the contributions of the late Namibian President, Dr. Sam Nujoma to trade and business development have not been very adequately acknowledged nor documented as his exploits in politics.

Speaking at a memorial service for the late leader at the Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, Ojo said: “Those of us in the business world will never forget the inspiration and drive that Dr. Nujoma brought to the development of business and intra-African trade.”

He added that: “I was specially blessed with the honour of having several memorable interactions with Dr. Nujoma and will never forget his fatherly concern and admonition for us to do everything possible to grow trade among African nations and African business entities. In his characteristic love for Africa’s development, Dr. Nujoma passionately pleaded and challenged us, as African businessmen and women, to work towards unlocking trade and investment opportunities among African nations.

“Dr. Nujoma saw trade as an important engine of economic growth and development in Africa and never ceased to emphasize that there are many regions and countries of the world that have been able to lift their people from poverty to prosperity through trade. In Africa however, he was saddened that trade has not served as a potent instrument for the achievement of rapid and sustainable economic growth and development.”

Ojo said: “Truly, currently, Intra-African trade (trade among African nations) stands at around 13% compared to approximately 60%, 40 %, 30% intra-regional trade that has been achieved by Europe, North America and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) respectively. Even if allowance is made for Africa’s unrecorded informal cross-border trade, the total level of intra-African trade is not likely to be more than 20%, which is still lower than that of other major regions of the world.”

He decried that: “That African countries do not trade much with each other has meant that they have been unable to fully harness the synergies and complementarities of their economies and take full advantage of the economies of scale and other benefits (such as income and employment generation) that greater market integration would have provided. There are cases where products and services could have been sourced competitively from other African countries but were procured from outside the continent.

“As Dr. Nujoma always taught us and as we learnt from him, enhancing intra-African trade presents a multitude of benefits. It fosters the evolution of regional value chains and catalyzes productivity and innovation. Intra-African trade also enhances economies of scale which means that as the scale of output goes up, average costs of production decline—at least up to a point.”

He added that: “While also supporting global trade, Dr. Nujoma was pained that Africa does the bulk of its trade with the outside world and the exports are heavily concentrated on primary commodities; and that the continent has been particularly vulnerable to external macroeconomic shocks and protectionist trade policies. He emphasized that boosting intra-African trade and deepening Africa’s market integration, by fostering competition among African countries would assist in enhancing their capacity and prepare them to compete more effectively on the global market.
And that is what Nigeria-Namibia Chamber of Commerce (NNCC), inspired by Dr. Nujoma, has painstakingly been promoting – boosting intra-African trade and deepening Africa’s market integration by fostering competition among African countries.”

The businessman said: “In my many cherished discussions with him, for he was my mentor, Dr. Nujoma saw Nigeria as a great African nation with potential for global leadership and remained beholden to Nigeria for Nigeria’s role in the liberation and independence of Namibia.

“Dr. Nujoma’s other passions were housing and educational development for Africans and he always challenged us to see all these necessities, these sustainable development goals achieved for the peoples of Africa.

“His passion for housing led to the development of the sprawling Dr. Sam Nujoma Housing Estate in Abuja and his love and advocacy for educational development inspired the founding of the African University of Science and Technology also in Abuja, Nigeria.”

Contributions of Dr. Sam Nujoma in Trade, Business Development Not Well Documented, Says NNCC

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

Troops clear bandits’ camps, rescue victims, recover arms in Bauchi

Published

on

Troops clear bandits’ camps, rescue victims, recover arms in Bauchi

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops under Operation WUTAN DAJI have cleared several bandits’ camps, rescued kidnapped victims and recovered arms during clearance operations in Bauchi State.

Security sources said troops of 33 Artillery Brigade Garrison, in conjunction with elements of the Brigade Headquarters and a team from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), carried out the operation in Kumbodoro forest and Kumbodoro village.

According to the sources, the operation was led by the Commander, 33 Artillery Brigade, Brig.-Gen. S.S. Shehu, as part of ongoing efforts to rid the area of criminal elements.

They added that several bandits’ camps, including Azuge camps, were cleared during the operation, while a number of the criminals were neutralised.

Items recovered include four skeletal rifles, four dane guns, two pairs of boots, three helmets, a power bank, a Startimes decoder, one FN rifle magazine, one AK-47 magazine, communication links, a jackknife, six mobile phones, arrows, radio chargers, ATM cards, photographs, identity cards, as well as several pairs of security agency uniforms and leg chains.

The sources further disclosed that eight kidnapped victims were rescued during the operation.

They said troops are currently holding position within the Kumbodoro forest to consolidate gains from the clearance mission.

In a related development, the sources said troops deployed at Duguri, in collaboration with local vigilantes, recovered 36 cows at Mushen Kura village following information that the animals were roaming the area.

“The cows are suspected to have fled from bandits’ camps due to the ongoing operations and are currently in custody for further action,” the sources said.

They noted that troops’ morale and combat efficiency remain high, while operations continue to deny bandits freedom of action in the region.

Troops clear bandits’ camps, rescue victims, recover arms in Bauchi

Continue Reading

News

Joint security forces raid herders’ camp in Rivers, recover arms and ammunition

Published

on

Joint security forces raid herders’ camp in Rivers, recover arms and ammunition

By: Zagazola Makama

Joint security operatives under the Joint Task Force, South-South, Operation Delta Safe, have raided a suspected herders’ camp in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, recovering arms and ammunition.

Security sources said the operation was carried out at about 1:30 p.m. on April 12 along the IPO community axis by troops of 6 Division Garrison in collaboration with personnel of the Air Force, Navy, Police, Department of State Services (DSS) and Civil Defence Corps.

According to the sources, the raid targeted identified herders’ and cattle rearers’ camps in the area.

They added that items recovered during the operation include one AK-47 rifle, one pump-action gun, 274 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition and four mobile phones.

The sources noted that the operation is part of ongoing efforts to curb illegal possession of firearms and enhance security across the Niger Delta region.

Joint security forces raid herders’ camp in Rivers, recover arms and ammunition

Continue Reading

News

Zulum establishes quarry centre, procures 70 trucks for infrastructure development

Published

on

Zulum establishes quarry centre, procures 70 trucks for infrastructure development

By: Our Reporter

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has announced the establishment of a quarry centre in Pulka, Gwoza Local Government Area, to accelerate infrastructure development in the state.

Zulum made this announcement on Monday while flagging off the distribution of 70 brand-new Howo pickup trucks to the Ministry of Works and the State Road Maintenance Agency (BORMA) at the Government House.

The 70 Howo trucks are designed to boost the operational capacity of the Ministry of Works and its supervising agencies. The trucks will enable the swift delivery of materials to sites and faster intervention on distressed roads.

According to the governor, the quarry centre will provide locally sourced materials including granite, gravel and sharp sand to support ongoing and future road projects, reducing dependence on external suppliers and cutting costs.

“We have achieved a lot in health, education, agriculture, security, and road construction among others. However, we still have challenges of constructing roads within the state, especially in rural communities,” Zulum said.

“My administration has established a quarry plant in Pulka with a processing capacity of 120 tons per hour. The State Government spent at least 3 billion to establish the quarry plant”, he added.

According to the governor, due to the prevailing insecurity, most contractors are not willing to work in Borno.

“You know, no serious contractor will take the risk of deploying his equipment to most of the implementing areas, so this is the reason we are here”, the governor reinstated.

“So, we have no option but to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Works, the capacity of Borno State Road Maintenance Agency (BORMA), the capacity of special projects, monitoring departments and other MDAs that are responsible for road construction.”

The brief ceremony was attended by the Secretary to Borno State Government, Bukar Tijani, Acting Chief of Staff, Dr Babagana Mustapha Mallumbe, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Works, Engr Baware, BORMA Chairman, Engr Sadu Auno, the Special Adviser on Monitoring and Evaluation, Engr Bukar Gujubawu and other senior officials.

Zulum establishes quarry centre, procures 70 trucks for infrastructure development

Continue Reading

Trending

Verified by MonsterInsights