‘ Why govt should replicate sugar policy in rice sector’
THE Group Executive Director of BUA Group and pioneer Chairman of the Nigerian Sugar Institute, Kabiru Rabiu, has advised the Federal Government to replicate reform in the sugar sector in the rice sub sector and other food industry sectors with growth potential.
Rabiu during the inauguration of the Nigerian Sugar Institute in Ilorin, Kwara State, said the Nigerian Sugar Development Council’s ( NSDC) supervisory and coordination role has been highly beneficial and is a model that should be replicated in other sectors.
Currently, the NSDC coordinates the activities of the Nigerian Sugar sector through monitoring of the backward integration and import substitution programme that has seen significant investments in various Cane- to- Sugar projects by private operators in the industry.
Kabiru Rabiu also stressed the importance and benefits of the Institute on the sugar subsector in reducing the skills gap in the industry and attaining better technologies and techniques in sugarcane production and processing.
Rabiu had recommended the establishment of the Institute during a Nigeria Industrial Policy and Competitiveness Advisory Council ( Industrial Council) meeting chaired by Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo in 2018.
Addressing the Minister for Industry, Trade and Investments, Niyi Adebayo, who was launching the institute, Rabiu noted that whilst so much intervention and successes have been made in the rice subsector, a lot more could be done through the introduction of a single coordinating body like the NSDC that can help the government in formulating policies and monitoring progress.
He added that this will help Nigeria move faster towards attaining adequate rice production, and processing whilst reducing prices and boosting competition.
Responding, Adebayo reiterating the Federal Government’s readiness to partner with private investors in sugar production in Nigeria, said investment already made by the apex government and the private sector in the industry was capable of creating thousands of jobs in agriculture and manufacturing sectors.
On his part, the Executive Secretary of NSDC, Dr. Latif Busari, said the newly- inaugurated Nigeria Sugar Institute would aid the ongoing drive towards achieving a virile and competitive sugar industry for the country.
Busari added that the Institute would also fill the current void in critical areas of Nigeria’s sugar industry such as research, development and innovation as well as technical manpower development to sustain the industry growth.
Also speaking, Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq pledged that his government will continue to create an environment for industrial growth, in partnership with both the Federal Government and the private sector for the benefit of residents of the state. The governor said the state has the potential of providing enough sugarcane for sugar industries in the country.
The National Maritime Transport Policy being developed by Nigeria is already attracting investors, particularly those from Belgium, who are currently eyeing windows of investment opportunity.
Executive officers of Belgium- owned Port of Antwerp International hinted this during a meeting with the Director- General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency ( NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, in Lagos.
Jamoh said there were huge opportunities for investment in wreck removal and recycling, stressing that the Federal Government was planning a coordinated wreck removal policy to drive investment in the area.
The visiting team of executives had sought an audience with the NIMASA boss to follow up on investment interests in Nigeria.
The Managing Director of APECAntwerp/ Flanders Port Training Centre and Port of Antwerp International, Kristof
Waterschoot, and Director at Port of Antwerp International, Mario Lievens, said they were also in Nigeria to promote new partnership opportunities, especially human capacity development.
Waterschoot and Lievens, who hosted Jamoh at the Nigerian Belgian Chamber of Commerce, Lagos, said their mission was to discuss projects of interest, including inland ports, and strengthen the relationship between the Port of Antwerp and NIMASA, particularly in the areas of training and technical support.
They noted that Nigeria’s proposed National Maritime Transport Policy was closely monitored as it unfolded to see how Belgium could come in with investments.
“We believe in Nigeria,” said Waterschoot, who observed that the business climate in Nigeria could be difficult, but that there was hardly any country without its peculiar challenges.
A National Maritime Transport Policy is part of the government’s effort to develop maritime infrastructure and diversify the oil- dependent economy. Minister of State for Transportation, Senator Gbemisola Saraki, said at a recent stakeholders’ validation forum that the policy, when approved, would lead to improved foreign direct investment ( FDI) inflow and enhance the ability of the sector to compete at the international level.
Jamoh praised the long- standing economic relationship between Nigeria and Belgium. He highlighted the Federal Government’s abiding interest in diversifying the economy, saying the development of maritime infrastructure is part of the economic diversification drive.
He stated: “The National Maritime Transport Policy, which is being developed, is part of a wider agenda proposed to build alternatives to oil. The maritime sector is consciously being opened for investment by local and foreign investors to build a sustainable blue economy.