2015 Africa Industrialisation Day: Enelamah must make a difference

I congragulate Honorourable Ministers of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Okechukwu Enelamah and  the Minister of State Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajia Aisha Abubakr for their successful appointments. The mission of the ministry cannot overstated; “To formulate and implement policies and programmes to attract investment, boost industrialization, increase trade and exports and develop enterprises”. Friday, […]

I congragulate Honorourable Ministers of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Okechukwu Enelamah and  the Minister of State Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajia Aisha Abubakr for their successful appointments. The mission of the ministry cannot overstated; “To formulate and implement policies and programmes to attract investment, boost industrialization, increase trade and exports and develop enterprises”.
Friday, this week marks 2015 Africa Industrialisation Day (AID). The United Nations General Assembly declared November 20th of every year since 1990 as a day “to stimulate the international community’s commitment to the industrialization of Africa”. Since 1990, African Industrialization Day is observed on November 20th each year as a platform to reflect on the challenges of Industrialization in Africa.
It is an occasion to examine ways and means to stimulate Africa Industrialisation Process. The 2014 commemoration of the Africa Industrialisation Day took place under the theme: ‘Inclusive and Sustainable industrial development; Africa Agro Industry for Food Security’. The theme for the 2015 AID is SMES FOR POVERTY ERADICATION AND JOB CREATION FOR WOMEN AND YOUTH.
Last year in Nigeria which signed on to this important day, it was business as usual (mass importation of finished goods from petroleum products to toothpicks, export of raw materials, not local production) with little renewed commitment to local value addition and beneficiation. It seems only the “stupid” Africans could be preoccupied with industrialization! On the same day, last year, President Goodluck Jonathan was reportedly in London to preside over a meeting of Nigeria’s Honorary International Investment Council (HIIC) which opened there on Africa Industrialization Day! It is sad that Africans’ investment charity (if any!) starts from abroad.
We must think global to attract foreign investment, but the point cannot be overstated that local value adding activities must take place on the African continent not in the heartland of Europe which once “underdeveloped” Africa. Will Minister Okechukwu, the new Minister of Trade and investment make a difference, unfold Buhari’s industrial plan and lead industrial discourse at home? President Muhammend Buhari has commendably charged the new ministers to be bussiness usual; minimize waste stay on jobs, and get the jobs done. The acid test for the new Ministers of industry is the  2015 AID.
 Despite its abundant natural resources, Nigeria once a promising industrializing nation harbours the biggest industrial cemeteries as hitherto industrial estates of cities like Lagos, kaduna, Aba, PortHarcourt and Kano parade closed hundreds of industrial plants with attendant millions of mass job losses. The misguided youths clamorring for false republics must be kept positively busy in the factories through decent mass employment in the factories. The new ministers of industries must visit both the closed and the remaining factories to appreciate the task at hand. Manufacturing which once contributed as much as 24 per cent of GDP now contributes less than 4 per cent.
Africa Industrialization Day is an important platform to raise awareness of inclusive and sustainable industrialization as one of the conditions for economic growth and eradication of poverty. It focuses on mobilizing the commitment of the critical stakeholders and the international communities to the industrialization of African countries. Sustainable Industrial policy is one of the main goals of Geneva based IndustriALL Global Union Federation with over 50 million members drawn from the Manufacturing, Energy and Mines sector across the World. Industriall Global Union affiliates in Nigeria are the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLANMPE), Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG), Chemical and Non-Metallic Senior staff Association of Nigeria, (CANMPSSAN), Steel and Engineering Workers Union of Nigeria (SEWUN) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) working in conjunction with other private sector unions such as the Food, Beverage and Tobacco Senior Staff Association (FOBTOB) and the National Union of Civil Engineering, Construction, Furniture and Wood Workers (NUCECFWW) and the Nigeria Labour Congress have finalized plans to hold the 2015 Africa Industrialisation Day in Abuja.
As part of the activities for this year’s celebration, the annual round table discussion is scheduled to hold on Thursday 19th November, 2015 at the Yar’adua Center, Abuja. The roundtable organized in conjunction with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung brings together representatives from trade unions, the organized private sector, relevant agencies of Government such as the Nigeria Customs Service, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, UNIDO, and other relevant stakeholders. It also discusses current challenges confronting industrial development in Nigeria, considers ways and means to help the new government fulfill its electoral promises of creating jobs through value added activities in agriculture and industrial manufacturing within the shortest possible period.
The focus of this year’s roundtable is COMBATING SMUGGLING, MEETING THE FINANCIAL AND ENERGY NEEDS OF LOCAL INDUSTRIES. The roundtable will be addressed by the Comptroller General of Customs, Colonel Hammed Alli (Rtd), the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele and other top Government functionaries. In appreciation of the Industrial Policy Campaign in Nigeria the 2015 event attracts the participation of the General Secretary of Industriall Global Union, Jyrki Raina, Jenny Holdcroft, Head of Industrial Policy, Fabian Nkomo, Regional Secretary of Industriall, Africa Region, trade union leaders from Ghana, Liberia, South Africa and other International Guests from Geneva Office of Industriall. The hounour able ministers of Industry, Governors of Edo and Kaduna states are special guests.
On Friday 20th November, affiliates of IndustriALL and the NLC have finalized plans to hold a rally to mark the 2015 Industrialisation Day and campaign for industrial revival in Nigeria. The rally will kickoff at the Labour House, Central Business District, Abuja. The recent inauguration of the cabinet by President Muhammadu Buhari has provided renewed hope for coordinated approach to industrial development. There can be no industrialization without uninterrupted electricity supply  which makes the performance of the new Minister of power  Babatunde Fashola very critical to the success of the administration.  Happy AID!