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UK Expresses Commitment To Nigeria’s Economic Growth

Published

5 years ago

December 5, 2019

Joel Ajayi

United Kingdom Government has expressed its commitment to promote an inclusive economic growth in Nigeria.

British Deputy High commissioner in Nigeria, Mr. Guy Harrison said on Wednesday in Abuja that the UK Government is committed to partnering with Nigeria towards enhancing the country’s economic development through the provision of technical assistances to improve her trading capabilities.

Harrison made the declaration while speaking at the ongoing Commonwealth Standards Network (CSN) and the Global Trade Programme (GTP), organised technical training activity on standards development for Nigerian Standards Agencies.

The programme which championed the design of different programmes to deliver specific technical assistance to Nigeria to eliminate non-tariff barriers to trade also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the British Standards Institute (BSI) and the Standards Organization of Nigeria.

Speaking at the signing event, the Director of Standards Development of the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), Mrs. Chinyere Egwuonwu said “With this MoU, both agencies have agreed to share information to support standards development and improvement, to design capacity building activities to promote standards capabilities, and disseminate information on export and import standards requirements for both countries.”

On his part, the Head of International Engagement, British Standards Institute (BSI) Mr. Peter Sissons said “BSI as the business Improvement Company and UK National Standards Body, signed this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the National Standards Body of Nigeria, to advance cooperation between both organizations. The agreement intends to share good practice between the two organisations, promote productivity and efficiency, and reduce costs and barriers to trade between the UK and Nigeria, by increasing the use of standards.”

Also speaking the UK Global Trade Programme Manager, Obosi Philip, noted that “The training activity and MoU will translate to a more capable standard bodies in Nigeria, with access to global standards development programmes and wider standards information sharing platforms. This will in effect, promote export of Made-in-Nigeria products to the UK and the World.”

According to Obosi, the new drive will see to the involvement of measures, which will help in the acceptances of Nigeria products in the international market, saying “What the country has experienced in recent times with the rejection of our products in international markets will now be addressed with the follow-up activities from the signing of the MoU , it will create a good opportunity for those responsible to do the right thing and I am optimistic it will be for the good of the country as well as boost our trade relationships.”

Also at the training were other key standards authorities in Nigeria, including the National Agency for Foods Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment (FMITI) and Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC). Donor agencies such as the World Bank and German Development Cooperation (GIZ).

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RMRDC: Making Giant Strides Under Prof. Nnanyelugo Martins Ike-Muonso

Published

11 hours ago

September 19, 2024

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

As we embark on a journey, we always pray for an able, experienced, and courageous driver, pilot, or sailor depending on the means of transportation.

This is because the captain will have enough experience and boldness to navigate out of turbulence and to bring all the passengers and crew to the intended destination.

Interestingly, these fine qualities of ability, experience, boldness, and many more, abound in the man, Prof. Nnanyelugo Martins Ike-Muonso, who we all are pleased was appointed the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, RMRDC, the Director General/CEO by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu a few months ago. This is because he has brought his knowledge, ability, experience, and doggedness to bear in carrying out his assignment in charge of the Council.

The RMRDC, operating under the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology, is pivotal in driving Nigeria’s industrial growth by optimizing local raw materials exploitation, development, and utilization. RMRDC, ab initio, was conceived as a child of necessity when Nigeria was reeling from the throes of global recession and plummeting crude oil prices.

Without an iota of doubt, today, the council is experiencing a transformation with massive innovation in raw material exploitation, development, and utilization, supporting business and industrial growth, and contributing to Nigeria’s economic prosperity.

Speaking during a press briefing on Tuesday, in Abuja to commemorate his 100 days in office, he said the council is laying a solid foundation through numerous innovations that will further enhance growth in the country.

According to him, “In the past 100 days, my strategic pursuits have been to lay solid foundations for enduring success in these goals.

“Upon assuming this position, I set five crucial deliverables which include, refocusing the Council as a premier research institution; Strengthening the Council’s productivity and operational efficiency; and Significantly improving the staff welfare to be the best in the class of similar organizations.

“Others include, Boosting the Council’s visibility and instituting remarkable culture change that encourages ownership and productivity as well as Strengthening and deepening the Council’s place in the international arena.”While speaking on his Achievements so far, the DG revealed further: “My first task, therefore, was to implement a strategic goal-setting for the Council’s staff to define and set out clear objectives and targets to be achieved by the Council within a specified period towards refocusing on this historical mandate. We unleashed five significant initiatives in that regard.

“The nationwide raw material data collection exercise that focused on technical and investment information to drive our mission forward.

“The restructuring and renaming of the former Technology Innovation Complex (TIC), at the Obasanjo Space Center at Airport Road, Abuja, to a Research and Demonstration Plants Complex (RDPC). This complex will be Africa’s first center of excellence in raw material research, featuring state-of-the-art laboratories, technology development workshops, and proof of concept demonstrations.

“We have reactivated the Council’s Journal and repositioned it internationally. The repositioned Journal of Raw Material Research (JORMAR) will host RMRDC’s researchers’ publications, which are crucial in promoting awareness, facilitating knowledge sharing, and informing stakeholders about the opportunities and challenges in Nigeria’s raw materials sector. “The collaboration with universities and academies will strengthen our capacity for conducting market-guided research, ensuring sustained workforce training while deepening our orientation in science.

“The council has reformulated a new template for all our research proposals to ensure and sustain a clear departure from the old culture of blue-sky and deliberately endless research.”Speaking further, Prof Nwanyelugo Martins Ike-Muonso stated that Staff welfare remains a top priority as an issue of unpaid salaries is settled as well as set up a comprehensive welfare program. “Similarly, we established the RMRDC Training School to sustainably build our staff and stakeholders’ capacity to further the staff welfare improvement goal.

“We are committed to openness, inclusiveness, and performance management and have initiated steps to continuously improve staff ownership, orchestrate transformative culture change, boost our corporate visibility, and enhance.

“To further strengthen our visibility and communication strategies, we are upgrading our media infrastructure, which includes the launch of the RMRDC online media platform, The RMRDC TV Online.

“Additionally, we are working hard to effectively enhance the intellectual property and patent portfolio of RMRDC from its current 40 to approximately 200 new patents within the next 24 months. This proactive approach secures valuable IP assets and positions the Council as a leader in innovation within the raw materials sector, contributing to Nigeria’s overall economic growth.“As well as launching an e-registration and certification portal to enhance transparency in the raw materials sector,” DG revealed.

He however reaffirmed his commitment to reshape the future of research, technology, and innovation, driving Nigeria towards an industrially vibrant and technologically resilient economy.

“As I mark 100 days in office, I boldly say that the Council is on the verge of rewriting its history.

“I believe that in no distant future, RMRDC will play a leading role in enhancing raw materials’ development to boost raw materials’ industrial trial processing and attain sustainable industrial growth in Nigeria.

The DG, however, applauded the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, for his unwavering support and mentorship, saying the Minister’s leadership has been instrumental in the progress made so far.

In his opening remarks, the Directorate of Corporate Affairs, Mr Chucks Ngaha commended the hard-working DG who has weathered the storm further to put the Council on the ladder of more prosperity.

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