Category: Industry

About 230 companies are confirmed for the direct and indirect exhibition of the 5th edition of Expo-indústria/2023, to be held from March 29 to April 1, in the Special Economic Zone (ZEE) Luanda-Bengo, said, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Eventos Arena, Bruno Albernaz.

Speaking to ANGOP, about the preparations for the event, he underlined that the 230 confirmed participations exceed the approximately 200 of 2019, when the Expo-indústria (Expo Industry) had a three-year pause, due to Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the businessman, despite the registration process being finalised, the confirmed participations represent an extremely positive number for a sectoral fair linked to the industry.

He made it known that in terms of participation there are about eight provinces, including Benguela, Huíla, Namibe, Malanje, Cabinda and Cuanza Norte.

He added that the exhibiting companies are all national, “that operate in our market, carrying out their activity in the country, because it is an expo focused on national industry. The international participation is of agents representing machines and equipment that they make available to these industries to keep up with their business”.

“There are 15 companies that are presenting to the market machines and solutions needed on the market”, he emphasized.

The 5th Edition of Expo-indústria/2023, to be held from March 29th to April 1st, in the Special Economic Zone (ZEE) Luanda-Bengo, will bring together, among several sectors, the manufacturing industry, engineering and civil construction, as well as the food industry and agribusiness.

Participation in the fair has a minimum value of 320,000 kwanzas for a “stand” of nine square meters, creating a 20% discount for companies that are not from Luanda.

The purpose of the event is to make industries increase employment and improve the living conditions of populations and leverage new partnerships and businesses.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

Banks across Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, opened their doors to customers to withdraw cash and transact other financial transactions in line with the directives of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that long queues were witnessed within the banking premises as customers besieged the financial institutions for transactions.

It was also observed that old notes were issued to customers, as new Naira notes was still being rationed to them.

NAN also reports that most banks operated between 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with customers taking turns accessing the banking hall to collect mostly old notes.

In several locations, long queues of customers trying to make withdrawals were recorded, with some of them expressing relief of getting their money after months of scarcity.

Bankers told NAN that the Naira supply situation was expected to gradually ease out within the week and beyond as the CBN had matched its word with action.

Some of the customers told NAN that with the withdrawal limits on both old and new Naira notes, they may be forced to face more hard times ahead.

Mr Olaniyi Olawuyi, expressed joy that banks operated during the weekend as he was able to withdraw cash, after long months.

“I was at my bank for financial transactions, although, there were old notes that I withdrew from the Automated Teller Machines, (ATM) but the most joyful thing is that there was no queue at all, while the cash limit remains N10,000.

“But in other places, long queues were visible as customers lined up in front of the banking hall and ATM,” Olawuyi said.

Mrs Adurayemi Ojeyemi said there were queues where she had gone to withdraw, but expressed optimism that the hardship would reduce after sometimes.

“I saw long queues in some other banks, but I thought things would be better than what they had been some months back.

“I have been coping at this time by collecting cash from market sellers and so far that has been my way out of this present predicament,” Ojeyemi said.

Mr Mayowa Olayinka said that long queues were experienced in the morning, but gradually eased out towards evening as fewer people were seen on queue at most ATM points.

Olayinka said that many people preferred to queue than pay a certain amount on every withdrawal for PoS agents.

“Different banks have different withdrawal limits from N2,000 up to N20,000, but they are old notes. I still wonder why the new notes are scarce.

“But it is a thing of joy that the CBN has decided to make more cash available for Nigerians,” he said.

Ms Lizzy Adelaide decried situation that many banks stopped attending to customers before 4:00 pm, which was the closing hours set by the banks.

She, however, commended the innovations and ingenuity of some banks that have provided other means of attending to their customers’ complaints.

NAN reports that the CBN directives on weekend banking came a few weeks after the Supreme Court ruling on the case of the redesign of the notes.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Ambong Energy has set up the Ambong Global Online Campus (aGOC©), an innovation, to assist the oil and gas professionals in learning to keep up with changes in the sector.

The aGOC© will deliver worldwide online courses that are innovative and future proof with the latest technologies and new approaches to the energy, oil and gas sectors.

Mr John Nwosu, the Managing Director, Ambong Energy, on Sunday said as the world moved in a never-ending and rapid evolution, fast training became more important for oil and gas professionals to be abreast with changes.

Nwosu, in a statement by David Bruce, Media Services Consultant to Ambong Energy, said the company established the virtual learning campus in response to constant changes, following years of research and development.

According to him, it is an innovation that puts the visionary company ahead of the rest.

“Ambong already has a unique track record in services and the delivery of technology and manpower to the industry: through an innovative capacity building programme for African youths.

“This provides a pathway to indigenous young people to get a foothold in the Energy industries,’’ he said.

Nwosu said it was achieved through diverse educational and industry partnerships as well as critical support from the Nigeria government local content organisation.

He, however, said Ambong was not just a training organisation but an innovator in the development of vital human resources.

Nwosu said track record and expertise gained by decades of experience in service, technical and business aspects of the oil and gas industry, gave the organisation an edge.

“This means that the essential skills, technologies and new developments are covered in all its courses,’’ he added.

Nwosu noted that the company had tracked trends in energy, oil and gas sectors and offered unique but necessary developments, covering major areas of change such as sustainability and better environmental protection.

He listed others as social responsibility and inclusive employment and training, digitalisation and digital transformation, massive pressure and demand for better productivity, maximum returns from every operation project and enhanced safety and environmental protection.

Nwosu said these drivers were incorporated into the Ambong conventional courses but specially were covered in its latest programmes about to be unveiled from the aGOC.

He said that the company, after years of innovation, is now opening up new doors for people worldwide; through innovative online courses that could meet the challenging needs of the energy, oil, gas and mining sectors.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Stakeholders in the healthcare sector have agreed to the full implementation of new formulated standard curriculum for training of caregivers to the elderly in the country.

The stakeholders made this known to newsmen on Saturday the end of a 3-day “Stakeholders engagement on the development of national benchmark statement and minimum standards in curriculum for training caregivers to older persons” in Abuja.

The stakeholders’ engagement was organised by the National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC) in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), UNFPA and National Primary Healthcare Development Agency.

The stakeholders expressed the need for relevant agencies, states and local governments to get involved in the project.

The Director-General, National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC) Dr. Emem Omokaro said the meeting was geared towards building a concensus on the need to develop a national benchmark statement and minimum standards in curriculum for training different levels of caregivers.

Omokaro said some of the stakeholders and agencies that have statutory mandate in social and healthcare had issued their commitment towards supporting and certifying the project.

”We have NBTE for certification of skills, we have NPHCDA, Nursing and Midwifery Council, WHO, Federal Ministry of Health, UNFPA and other existing care agencies; so for the past three-days we have brain stormed on the challenges of ageing and care provision in Nigeria.

”We build concensus and that’s the communique that all the agencies signed that there’s need to develop a national benchmark statement and minimum standards in curriculum for training different levels of caregivers.

”And for standardisation of care agencies and even certification of care agencies operators in Nigeria, So, what we are coming-out here with is a draft benchmark statement and minimum standards in curriculum for training this different levels of caregivers and also certifying care agency operators.

“What these means is that we have to now move here to validation after having harmonised the zero draft.

“It means we have to now move to states because if we say it is national, then states have make inputs, so what we have here is a zero draft.”

Omokaro, therefore, assured the stakeholders that the process of validating the draft document would commence in earnest.

”Now, we are going to embark on validation exercise to ensure that we capture even the voices of stakeholders consultative forum on ageing, voices of older persons and then we have input from state departments and agencies in charge of older persons, social welfare departments because these concerns everybody.

”So, it is really an excitement for us in the NSCC to initiated these programmes and to have been able to strategically bring all the actors.

”We are hoping that by August 2023, we will finish the validation exercise and by then we will have a guideline document for administering care to older persons in Nigeria.

”We are calling on all the experts and some more because we now want to develop a standard guidelines and regulations as a policy document,” she said.

The Special Assistant to the President on Humanitarian Affairs, Mr Musa Bungudu said the project was critical and important to the welfare of older persons in Nigeria.

Bumgudu commended the centre for initiating the programme aimed at providing psycho-social and health support to the senior citizens in the country.

”I really commend the experts for coming together to develop a training framework that we never had, infact up till, yesterday I couldn’t believe the modules for the training that was developed we don’t have it in Nigeria,” he said.

Mrs Lilian Sule-Jiringho, the Founder of the Centre for Happy Elderly People (CHEP) said the engagement afforded her the opportunity to understand a new dynamics in caring for the elderly.

Sule-Jiringho promised to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in administering care for the elderly in her centre.

”My expectations is to see that I have been able to formalised all the training I acquired here and now with the existence of NSCC, who initiated the stakeholders meeting for developing a standard curriculum for training caregivers for the past three-days; we will continue to improve our services.

”When I go back, I am going use the knowledge acquired to improve on my work. So I am very happy to be part of this programme,” she said.

Dr Emmanuel Osundu, the Administrator of Tender Loving Care, an NGO expressed confidence on the ability of the centre to achieve its target of formulating a unique standard procedure for managing the health and wellbeing of older persons in Nigeria.

”We are here as stakeholders to develop policies and procedures on how to manage the health of the elderly. What I am going home with today is that we have achieved the purpose that is designed for us to come here.

”In terms of developing policies, procedures, benchmarks on how to manage the health of the elderly in Nigeria, that’s our theme and that’s what we accomplished here today.” he said

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Sen. Philip Aduda (PDP-FCT) has unveiled constituency projects worth N2.8 billion across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Aduda, also Senate Minority Leader, inspected the projects across various wards of Bwari and Abuja Municipal Area Council ( AMAC) aimed at improving the living condition of the people at the weekend.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the projects included the 6 kilometres N1.4 billion Global Suite Road in Sabon Gari Area of Bwari

Others were the N1.4 billion road in Nyanya which passed through the Divisional Police Headquarters, Area F among others.

He also the 1.5 kilometres Government Secondary School Kuduru Road with street light, and expansive multipurpose Ttwn hall in Kuduru ward in Bwari Area Council.

Aduda also inspected the 2.2 Kilometres internal road project in Gbazango , Kubwa ward and the Byhazin Across Road in Kubwa.

Speaking shortly after, the senator said that he decided to unveil the projects even after losing election for posterity.

“I did it for posterity and to knock off the argument or remarks by some people that I didn’t do anything within the last 20 years as a representative of FCT residents at the National Assembly.

“I want to be remembered for been very modest about some of my achievements which is infrastructural development.

” I have also realised that sometimes, if you don’t say what you are doing people will wonder what you have done and people will wonder and people will not know except the immediate benefiting communities.

“What I have done is to take you round the projects I have done within the past few years and some people will wonder that within the past 20 years what have you been able to do,” Aduda said.

He added: “The more you stay as a legislator the more you have opportunities to be able to attract so many things that are developmental to your people.

” For me, the more a person gets reelected into the National Assembly, the more he or she garners experience and needed contacts for facilitation of development – driven projects to his or her constituency as I have done for the people of FCT within the last 20years.”

Some residents interviewed expressed sadness over the failure of the Senator to secure his reelection bid at the Feb. 25 general election, as he lost to the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Ireti Kingibe.

Mr Dauda Babalola, a resident, said that the infrastructure development brought about by the Senator was unequalled especially in Jikwoyi.

Similarly, Chief Imam of Pipeline Mosque in Gbazango , Kubwa Ward , Kassim Abdallah urged the senator not to despair over the outcome of the election saying that the Almighty God would continue to grant him the grace to serve the people and communities alike.

” For us in this area, you are a worthy ambassador of the masses and downtrodden in government.

“The relief brought to us by the construction of Gbazango Pipeline Road is so enormous and we pray that it will manifest in success for you in all your endeavors,” he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria