The Nigerian Belgian Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) has declared its commitment to forge ahead its new partnerships that will bring prosperity and wealth to both nations by unleashing the power of the private sector participation through free enterprise.
In making this reality, the chamber has declared its strong desire to deepen trade and strengthen investment links between these countries, which will be done effectively through trade mission, conferences and workshops that will provide a platform to showcase the vast opportunities that exist between Belgium and Nigeria.
Speaking during the NBCC breakfast meeting held in Lagos, Tunde Okoya, president of the Chamber, said the strength and the impact of the chamber were reflected in the list of its members that have played a tremendous role in the various communities where they had operated for decades.
Some of the companies he mentioned included Okomu Oil, Presco Oil, Dredging International, the Belgian Group Etex, with three factories in Nigeria: Nigerite in Lagos; Emenite in Enugu; Eternit in Sapele, among others, were having a tangible and positive impact in host communities by contributing significantly to the IGR of the states they do business and creating employment.
He noted that the positive side of the falling prices of crude oil was that it presented a wonderful opportunity to diversify the national economy into agriculture, maritime industry, financial services for the West African region and Africa at large.
According to Okoya, “We are looking to see how we can leverage on the power of our maritime sector as a whole. To unbundle the potentials of our agricultural and industrial fisheries sector through commodities export to Europe, and as a way to reduce the cost of overall freight charges borne by Nigerian companies, due to a lack of sufficient return cargo for goods imported to our sea and airports on a daily basis.”
While delivering the keynote address, Ernest Nwapa, executive secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, commended the present administration for implementing the Nigerian Oil and Gas Content Development Act, which had freed Nigerian entrepreneurs, making them dream big and venture into all areas of the industry, both on land, off shore and even in the deep waters, in technologies that were deployed in very complex environments.
He said just breaking that boundary had helped the Nigerian economy and in order to be able to do those things, there were certain facilities Nigeria must have.
“We have over $5 billion as at 2014, and then it went up to $7.2 billion. So, when we start spending time training Nigerians, creating employment opportunities and opportunities for young engineers to learn how these things are done practically by doing it themselves, we are creating a new and industrialised nation,” he said.
Nwapa disclosed that Nigeria was industrialising on the pack of these activities, as every week, one new facility was being commissioned, new ports were ongoing in Nigeria fabrication yards, manufacturing facilities were being expanded and developed, saying that all these things add up to a new economy.
As a result of these developments, there is a new set of entrepreneurs in Nigeria, people hungry for participation and this is made possible through the law, which has created the opportunity for that participation, he said..
“Under the president, we have seen the Carbotage Act 2003, between 2011 and 2015; the impact of the Carbotage Act on the Maritime Sector has surpassed what was done from 2003 to 2011. So, in eight years, we had a law which wasn’t really implemented but the political will to make these things happen resides in only a few people,” Nwapa said.
All these shows it is the leadership that drives the implementation and commitment to seeing things happen for Nigerians, he said. The organisation around the maritime sector is so much. The security around the water ways is better, the issue of piracy is being addressed and the ports are getting more organised, among others, which are things that will sustain industrialisation for the country.
IFEOMA OKEKE
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