National News
SADC to Promote Innovation as Key to Unlocking Sustainable Economic Growth of Southern Africa
SADC to Promote Innovation as Key to Unlocking Sustainable Economic Growth of Southern Africa
By: Michael Mike
As the Southern African Development Community (SADC) begins life under the Chairmanship of President Emerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, the promotion of innovation to unlock opportunities for sustainable economic growth and development would be a watchword in the region
This would be a consolidating of the national peace, food and nutritional security, gender development, disaster risk management, and implementing the strategy and roadmap for industrialization which were the crux of the erstwhile chairman, President Joe Manuel Mrosso of Mozambique.
SADC consists of 17 members states that has a rich history of allignment dating back to 1980 when it was formed as the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC).
It was in 1992, it evolved into the Southern African Development Community (SADC), with a renewed commitment to promoting sustainable development, peace, and security in Southern Africa region.
Speaking at the 2024 SADC anniversary in Abuja at the weekend, the outgone Chair of SADC Group in Nigeria, Angola’s Ambassador Bamoquina Jose Zau who handed over to the Ambassador of Zimbabwe, Maxwel Ranga,
while noting that: “SADC has made significant progress in promoting economic growth, social justice, and human development, announced that the anniversary celebration marked the transfer of chairmanship from President Joe Manuel Mrosso of Mozambique to President Emerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe.
He said: “We thank President Mrosso for his leadership and commitment to SADC during his tenure, and we welcome President Mnangagwa as he takes the reins to steer our organisation forward.”
“The theme of President Mrosso’s chairmanship was “Promoting Industrialization and Sustainable Economic Growth,” and he made significant strides in promoting human and financial capital development, which are critical drivers of sustainable industrialization.”
“His commitment to consolidating national peace, food and nutritional security, gender development, disaster risk management, and implementing the strategy and roadmap for industrialization will have a lasting impact on our region.”
“As we look to the future, President Mnangagwa’s chairmanship will focus on promoting innovation to unlock opportunities for sustainable economic growth and development.”
“This is a critical area of focus, as innovation has the potential to drive economic transformation, create jobs, and improve living standards.”
“We are also proud of the progress we have made in promoting peace and security in our region. The recent summit in Arusha, Tanzania, commended the peace process and mediation efforts between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, and called on the two countries to cease all hostilities.
“We will continue to work towards achieving lasting peace and security in the region, particularly in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the province of Cabo Delgado in Mozambique.”
“As we celebrate this anniversary, we are reminded of the importance of our partnership with other regions and countries.
“We appreciate the support and cooperation we have received from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and we look forward to strengthening our ties with other countries, including Russia.”
He added that: “We are proud of our achievements, but we recognize that there is still much work to be done. We must continue to work together to address the challenges facing our region, including poverty, inequality, and climate change.”
“We are committed to creating a better future for the people of Southern Africa. We will continue to work tirelessly to promote sustainable development, peace, and security in our region.”
Meanwhile, the Director General of Voice of Nigeria(VON) Jubrin Ndace, said the media plays a vital role in shaping Africa narratives, noting that Africans cannot expect the world to respect them if they don’t tell their own story.
He said: “We need to be intentional about creating a positive narrative about Africa and Africans. The Voice of Nigeria is a public platform established to consistently create a positive narrative about Nigeria and Nigerians, Africa and Africans.
“We broadcast in eight languages, including four indigenous languages and four international languages, to reach a broader audience.”
“As Director General, I’m committed to deepening our engagement with the international community.”
“I’m currently exploring opportunities to broadcast in Mandarin, courtesy of our partnership with the Chinese government. This collaboration will enable us to reach a vast audience in China and promote cultural exchange between our nations.”
“However, I believe that our efforts should go beyond broadcasting. We need to encourage travel within the African continent.
“We need to promote cultural exchange programs, educational initiatives, and economic partnerships that foster cooperation and understanding. We need to create opportunities for Africans to experience the beauty and diversity of our continent firsthand.”
“To achieve this, I propose that we establish a partnership between SADC countries and the Voice of Nigeria.
“We can work together to promote positive narratives about our continent, encourage travel, and foster cultural exchange. We can offer our platforms to journalists from SADC countries to share their stories, and vice versa.
“By working together, we can create a unified narrative that showcases the best of Africa. Let’s define ourselves by our strengths, our resilience, and our beauty.
“Let’s celebrate our diversity, our cultures, and our achievements. Let’s take control of our narrative and let the world respect us. We are not defined by our challenges; we are defined by our ability to overcome them.”
“I offer the Voice of Nigeria platform to all SADC countries willing to work with us to consistently tell positive stories about Africa.”
“Let’s unite in our efforts to promote a positive narrative about our continent. Let’s celebrate our common future and work towards a brighter tomorrow for all Africans.” He added.
Ends
National News
UK Commends Nigeria’s Economic ReformsInsists Though Reforms Have Brought Hardship But Necessary for Future Growth and Stability
UK Commends Nigeria’s Economic Reforms
Insists Though Reforms Have Brought Hardship But Necessary for Future Growth and Stability
By: Michael Mike
The United Kingdom has commended Nigeria’s Economic reforms being carried out by the President Bola Tinubu administration
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery gave the commendation at a press conference on UK-Nigeria trade on Wednesday in Abuja.
Montgomery said though the reforms have brought high inflation and hardship but they are necessary for future growth ànd stability of the country.
He said: “President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms are working, and they have made Nigeria more investible.
“The Naira is now more stable and more predictable. And the last quarter Nigerian economy has grown by 4%.”
He also noted that the UK is also carrying out economic reforms that will be beneficial to Nigeria because they will make business investment’s more predictable, simplify regulations of doing business.
“We also have reforms in the UK economy and we are working on how they can benefit Nigeria.”
The Director General, Presidential Enabling Business Council (PENEC), Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu, on her part said the Naira is now more stable and it’s good for investors.
She said: “This conversation is about investment and trade; to me the Naira is more stable because it’s more predictable and prior to my appointment as DG , I use to work with the president on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), as a technical adviser and I can tell you; one o the key things that investors look for is stability, predictability . People invest in Afghanistan not because it’s better than Nigeria,. It was a war zone but because it was predictable.
“And that is what President Tinubu has created in Nigeria. There is predictability, we no longer have that market window where we had people who were simply trading the Naira. And that have been eradicated.”
Speaking further she said: “What we’ve done now is that we have stopped the ability for agencies or departments or ministries to come up with new new policies. It must go through all the stakeholders engagement, it must go through all the assessments to make sure that the positives far outweighs the adverse reactions of the businesses.”
“We are also doing everything possible to grow our local economy.” She added
The British Country Director, Department of Business and Trade, Mark Smithson, disclosed that UK-Nigeria trade volume is £7.2 billion.
“UK/Nigeria trade volume is £7.2N and the UK has approved zero tariff on 3000 exports from Nigeria, which includes: cocoa, cashew nuts, tomatoes and others.”
UK Commends Nigeria’s Economic Reforms
Insists Though Reforms Have Brought Hardship But Necessary for Future Growth and Stability
All Nigerians to be Enrolled to NIMC Databank Before End of Year
…120m Nigerians have been captured so far- Says Coker-Odusote
By: Michael Mike
No fewer than 120 million Nigerians have been enrolled so far by the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC.
This is as the agency disclosed plans to move the enrollment to various wards in the country as part of the efforts to get all Nigerians enrolled, insisting that a target of enrolling all Nigerians before the end of 2025 has been set.
NIMC Director General, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, while addressing the media in Abuja on Wednesday, said the target of enrollment of all Nigerians by the end of the year into the NIMC databank has been set.
Coker-Odusote said: “Our systems have moved from 100 million capacity to about 250 million due to the upgrade and launch of various digital platforms to support our services in line with international standards and best practices.
“That is why I can assure you that before the end of this year, NIMC will have enrolled all Nigerians and residents. We have moved from local government areas to wards and communities to ensure that we have seamless enrolment.”
She also revealed that the agency within the past 18 months has embarked on the training and reorientation of its workers to ensure efficient and effective service delivery in all aspects of their operations.”
She further disclosed that through collaboration and partnerships with about 120 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government, the country’s National Social Register has been updated and 2.3 million Nigerians have been verified and revalidated.
Coker-Odusote added that: “Within the past 18 months, we have been able to cover lots of ground. Besides the ongoing integration of the Civil Service and Agencies under the Ministries, we have also integrated the private sector, especially banks and Telcos.
“This development has helped to eliminate fake new sites and fake sites for NIN registration by some sharks. NIN is now tied to the school feeding programme, student loans programme, and disbursement of government social welfare packages.
“The government has been able to cut waste and eliminate identity fraud and corruption within the system. What we are advocating is that citizens should take responsibility for the safety and protection of their data.”
All Nigerians to be Enrolled to NIMC Databank Before End of Year
NESREA Seals 21 Facilities in FCT for Non-Compliance with Environmental Laws
By: Michael Mike
The National Environmental Standards and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA) on Wednesday shutdown twenty-one facilities in the Federal Capital Territory for failing to comply with extant environmental laws .
Among the facilities/projects sealed were Ochacho Real Homes Limited, Idu; Cosgrove Shopping Mall Project, Wuse II; Belmont Court Idu; and 18 others.
Addressing the media, the Director General of NESREA, Prof. Innocent Barikor informed that the enforcement exercise was carried out to halt the adverse environmental impacts of the activities of the facilities.
He said: “The negative impact of the construction and quarrying activities within FCT has led to public outcry by the host communities where these facilities exist. In addition, the environment is exposed to various forms of environmental degradation and disaster such as flooding, erosions, burrow pits.”
Prof Barikor also stated that: “The construction sector has continued to deviate from the provisions of the National Environmental (Construction Sector) Regulations 2011 and the Environmental Impacts Assessment Act. There were many public complaints against these facilities and officials of NESREA carried out investigation, after which notices of compliance concerns were issued to these facilities. However, they failed to adhere to the provisions of the environmental laws, hence the Action by the Agency.”
He added that many of the facilities failed to carry out Environmental Impact Assessment before the commencement of their projects as required by law.
NESREA Seals 21 Facilities in FCT for Non-Compliance with Environmental Laws
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