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Covid-19: Strategic PPP Will Mitigate Economic Effect—-AUDA-NEPAD/APRM Boss

Published

4 years ago

April 23, 2020

Joel Ajayi

The country can mitigate economic impact of global pandemic through strategic Public Private Partnership (PPP), says Princess Gloria Akobundu, National Coordinator, African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa’s Development/ African Peer Review mechanism (AUDA-NEPAD/APRM) Nigeria.

Akobundu said while featuring as a Guest Speaker on a virtual conference with the topic `Leveraging COVID-19 disruptions for economic growth in Africa’, organised by Pristine Ecologistics Cloud-based conferencing platform.

This was contained in a statement signed by Abolade Ogundimu, Media Assistant to the National Coordinator on Thursday in Abuja

According to the Chief Executive Officer, AUDA-NEPAD/APRM, despite lockdown as a result of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19), how to overcome the virus and cushion its effect should not be lost on the nation.

“There is need for bottom-top approach in strategic partnership, focusing on grassroots challenges if lasting solutions will be found to COVID-19 and other national challenges.

“If agricultural sector receives more partnership support in areas of production, processing and packaging of farm outputs, large ratio of unemployed population can be gainfully engaged while agric. wastages can become income.

“Self-sufficiency in food production is a success for a nation of over 200 million population, but the nation cannot afford to rest on its oars,” she said.

The Agency Boss said adequate partnership in primary health subsector would not only lead to standard healthcare system, it would also help to upgrade indigenous therapy.

“Without compromising standard, there is need to pay more attention to our plants and animals in the search for COVID-19 antidote due to our rich varieties of plants and animals,” she said.

Akobundu gave reasons for deliberate PPP in the area of skills acquisition programmes and education.

“There is need for strategic partnership with policy backing in the area of Skills acquisition programmes so that members of the public can be trained in their areas of interest which usually increase innovations.

“Provision of more technology hubs with basic ammenities will also be another means of channelling our youths’ energies towards National development which leads to global prominence.

“While searching for lasting solution to COVID-19 pandemic, use of technology need to be highly considered to sustain learning at all levels,” she said.

The Agency Boss added that due to importance of power to the nation, abundant resources in every location should be considered in order to solve the problem.

Akobundu said, given the abundance of resources, recent prediction of World Bank that Africa would experience between -2.5% to -5.1% recession at the end of COVID-19 pandemic should not be experienced by Nigeria.

The National Coordinator commiserated with President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Executive Council over the death of late Mallam Abba Kyari, Chief of Staff to the President..

Akobundu described Abba Kyari as a leader par excellence, praying for the fortitude to bear the loss by his family and the entire nation.

AUDA-NEPAD/APRM Boss featured along with Ambassador Jerome Ringo, Goodwill Ambassador, Pan- African Parliament and founder, Zoetic Energy from U.S.

The Moderator, Dr Paul Abolo, on behalf of the organisers, commended the speakers for doing justice to the topic and proffering insightful ideas on how the continent could navigate economic threats of COVID-19 pandemic.

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

Published

12 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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