Business
7TH ECOWAS trade fair officially closed in Accra
ABUJA – The curtains fell on the 7th ECOWAS Trade Fair in Accra, the Ghanaian capital on Monday 11th November, 2013 after 12 days of showcasing of culture and products coupled with sales and business to business networking by traders, manufacturers, industrialists and investors.
Speaking during the official closing ceremony, Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Nii Lantey Vanderpuye commended the more 600 exhibitors from 11 ECOWAS Member States and outside the region at the fair and expressed the hope that the exchanges would “yield positive returns and progressive demand and supply relationships for the benefits of our numerous stakeholders.”
“The ECOWAS market is so important to all Member States, and we must do all we can to keep it open, growing and developing,” the deputy minister said, adding: “All our governments therefore need to cooperate to ensure that all technical barriers to trade are removed.”
He lamented that “road blocks and unauthorized tariff/road toll collection on our trunk roads,” impeded the smooth movement of persons and goods across the region’s borders and onto the markets, with negative impact particularly on the profitability of exports and severest consequences on trade in perishable foodstuffs and other agricultural commodities.
As a solution, the minister suggested constant review of “our corporate governance and quality service monitoring systems for the Customs and Immigration officers,” to ensure reduction to the barest minimum, delays at various border posts.
He also called for the facilitation of the construction and commissioning of the “long-held dream of a seamless railway line connecting Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire,” to resolve most of the problems associated with the overland haulage of agro-produce and other raw or unprocessed commodities across the region’s borders.
Mr. Felix Kwakye, who spoke on behalf of the ECOWAS Commissioner for Trade, Free Movement and Tourism, Mr Hamid Ahmed, said the wide variety of products displayed during fair “attest to the vast potential of our region with a combined market of more than 350 million consumers.”
This potential, he said, “should be harnessed for the industrial development of West Africa, to reduce poverty and improve the living standards of our people.”
The Commissioner said the Accra fair “lived up to its billing as a veritable platform not only to showcase made-in-ECOWAS goods and projection of our industrial and investment potential, but also to give expression to the cherished vision of the Community which is moving from an ECOWAS of States to an ECOWAS of people.”
The Commissioner said the ECOWAS Commission had taken note of the concerns expressed by some traders in relation to the challenges they encountered in the intra moving their products from one member state to the other. He assured that the Commission will continue to work with other stakeholders to improve knowledge of the ECOWAS protocols and texts on the free movement of goods and persons with a view to ensuring that citizens moved freely in accordance with the tenets of the ECOWAS Revised Treaty.
He thanked the Government and people of Ghana for the warm hospitality extended to the exhibitors and Community citizens, as well as their immense contribution to the success of the fair.
The chairman of the Fair’s Regional Organizing Committee, Mr. Johnson Kueku Banka of Togo and Mr. Nana Ofori Amanfo, the Exhibition Director and Deputy Chief Executive of the Ghana International Trade Fair Company, both commended the exhibitors and expressed the hope that lessons learnt from the Accra event would help improve subsequent outings.
The speeches were followed by the lowering of the ECOWAS and Ghana’s flags followed by the rendition of the National and Regional Anthems by the Ghana Police Band, to formally draw activities to a close.
Earlier at a Press Conference, Mr. Adou Koman of the ECOWAS Commission’s Trade Directorate reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment and determination to make the biennial fair a veritable showcase of the region’s business and trade opportunities.
He urged Member States, citizens and other stakeholders to play their roles effectively towards the realization of the goals of regional integration and economic development using trade as one of the key platforms.
Ghana’s President His Excellency, Dramani Mahamma, represented by a member of the National Council of State Honourable Christopher Dewornu, declared the fair officially opened on 31st October 2013 at the Ghana International Trade Fair Centre, under the theme: “Regional Integration through Trade.”
ECOWAS Commission Vice President Dr. Toga McIntosh represented the Commission’s President His Excellency Kadre Desire Ouedraogo at that ceremony with Ghana’s Trade and Industry Minister Haruna Iddrisu and ECOWAS Commissioner Hamid Ahmed, among the dignitaries in attendance.
Previously held every four years, the regional Trade Fair is now a biennial event. Senegal hosted the first edition in 1995, followed by Ghana in 1999, Togo in 2003, Nigeria in 2005, Burkina Faso in 2008 and Togo again in 2011. The 8th edition will take place in 2015 at a venue to be announced in due course.
The Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation has uncovered financial irregularities amounting to ₦514 billion in the 2021 operations of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd).
The revelations were contained in a comprehensive audit report highlighting non-compliance and internal control weaknesses within Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) during the 2021 financial year.
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Breakdown of Infractions
The audit detailed four major financial discrepancies within NNPCL:
“Irregular Deductions: A total of ₦343.64 billion was deducted from domestic crude oil sales at source without proper documentation.
“Sinking Fund Deposits: ₦83.66 billion, categorized as miscellaneous income, was retained in a sinking fund account.
“Unauthorised Refinery Deductions: ₦82.95 billion was deducted from federation revenue purportedly for refinery rehabilitation.
“Unsubstantiated Payments: ₦3.75 billion was flagged for transactions related to petrol sales that lacked proper verification.
The Auditor-General’s report stated that these financial activities violated the 1999 Constitution and the Financial Regulations Act of 2009, underscoring significant lapses in compliance with statutory guidelines.
According to the report, NNPCL generated ₦484.73 billion from domestic crude oil sales in March and May 2021.
However, ₦343.64 billion was deducted for various purposes, including “Value Shortfall,” “Strategic Stock Holding Cost,” and “Pipeline Maintenance.”
The deductions were made unilaterally by NNPCL without adequate documentation or justification.
Additionally, the report flagged ₦50 billion of the net payable amount for May 2021 as unaccounted for, creating a significant gap in the federation’s revenue.
“Audit observed from the review of NNPC SAP payment record for March and May 2021 payments that the sum of ₦484.73bn was the gross amount generated for the sale of domestic crude for the months of March and May 2021.
“The sum of ₦343.64bn from the gross amount was unilaterally deducted from the gross domestic crude sales as NNPC Value shortfall, Strategic Stock Holding Cost, Crude Oil and Products Pipeline Losses, as well as the pipelines maintenance and management costs.
“The details of each of the cost components deducted were not provided for audit review. Hence, the reasons for the deductions could not be justified by the management.”
On the unremitted ₦50 billion from May 2021, the report noted: “In the month of May, the net payable that could have been remitted ought to have been ₦127.075bn, but only the sum of ₦77.075bn was remitted, leaving an unremitted balance of N50bn to the Federation Account, which has remained unaccounted for.”
The report attributed these anomalies to weaknesses in NNPCL’s internal control systems, warning of the risks they pose to public funds.
It read, “The above anomalies could be attributed to weaknesses in the internal control system at NNPC, now NNPC Ltd. This is a potential loss of Federation revenue, diversion of public funds, or misapplication or misappropriation of funds.”
The success of the maiden edition of the Lagos Shopping Festival (LSF), Africa’s first 72-hour non-stop commerce and entertainment event has been credited to the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
This is the view of Managing Director/Chief Strategist of Chain Reactions Africa Ltd, Israel Jaiye Opayemi, one of the main organisers of the event.
According to Opayemi, though Chain Reactions Africa conceptualised the event, the festival could be rightly described as the Governor’s baby and owes its success to his leadership. “Firstly, the Lagos Shopping Festival could not have come to fruition if the Governor did not buy into our audacious plan when we first presented the idea to him during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Secondly, it was the Governor’s exemplary leadership of the project as its Chief Marketing Officer which attracted the buy-in of key sponsors like Zenith Bank, Tolaram Group, First Bank Plc, and Guinness Nigeria Plc,” Opayemi revealed.
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While the duo of Zenith Bank and First Bank provided their bank on wheel platforms for buyers at the Lagos Shopping Festival, they also supported the Vendors with special Point of Sale Machines with which to process payments from buyers. The banks were also seen marketing their diverse banking products to guests within the shopping arena.
For Tolaram, it was a time to support the citizens and give back to society. Guests at the Lagos Shopping Festival were freely given some of the products of the group such as PowerOil, Indomie and Kellogg’s packaged into goodie bags and given out to prospective buyers at the shopping arena. The Children’s Arena was however activated by Indomie with the children entertained by Santa Claus within a well-equipped arena manned by the Indomie Brands team and the Lagos State Safety Marshalls. The children were daily treated to free Indomie meals daily and given various gifts to go home with.
On its part, Guinness Nigeria came through as the real life of the Nigerian party by organizing product sampling activation for the teeming guests at the festival using brands such as Singleton, Johnnie Walker, Ciroc, Don Royale and Captain Morgan to deliver pleasant experiences to guests aside from Guinness and Malta Guinness.
While unveiling the identity of the festival last month, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had thanked the management of Zenith Bank Plc, Tolaram Africa Group, Guinness Nigeria Plc and First Bank of Nigeria for supporting the idea of a Lagos Shopping Festival, describing it as a value addition on the state’s tourism calendar and the overall efforts to grow the State’s GDP. The Governor further said, “I must specially acknowledge your pioneering sponsorship role. It is easy for a corporate sponsor to jump on the sponsorship band wagon of an already established festival and fund it. But you are supporting the maiden edition of this Lagos Shopping Festival with us. The competition is watching you now. Do not build this brand with us and yield the space for the competition to take over. I do hope you would all commit long term to this brilliant initiative.”
On his part, Girish Sharma, CEO Guinness Nigeria Plc, expressed enthusiasm for the initiative. “Lagos is the commercial heartbeat of Nigeria and Africa’s entertainment capital, and the Lagos Shopping Festival captures its essence. We see opportunities in this initiative because it is a creative fusion of commerce and entertainment. This partnership reflects our dedication to fostering economic opportunities and support the nation’s vibrant entertainment industry.”
A first-of-its-kind, the festival was a convergence of commerce and entertainment, bringing together buyers and sellers in the MSME ecosystem, and hordes of fun-seekers who were entertained with thrilling performances by A-list entertainers, including Adekunle Gold, Wande Coal, Teni, Young Jonn, BNXN, Ayo Maff, SB Live and EmmaOMG. The list also included some of Nigeria’s most sought after DJs such as DJ Neptune, DJ YK Mule, DJ Baddo while Gbenga Adeyinka the 1st and Larry J dished out rib-cracking comedy performances.
Held from 23rd to 25th Day of December 2024, at the iconic Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan Stadium, Lagos, the Lagos Shopping Festival saw thousands of fans throng the main venue and select Lagos malls during the three-day period to bag the latest bargains from local and top global brands.
The Nigerian Naira experienced mixed movements in the foreign exchange markets on Monday, as it depreciated to N1,665 per dollar in the parallel market, down from N1,660 per dollar recorded over the weekend.
In contrast, the official exchange rate saw the Naira appreciate to N1,534.56 per dollar, improving slightly from N1,535 per dollar last Friday, according to data released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
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This reflects a marginal gain of 44 kobo in the official Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM).
As a result, the gap between the parallel market rate and the NFEM rate widened to N130.44 per dollar, compared to the N125 per dollar margin recorded over the weekend.
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