- Onyeama launches online business match-making portal, help desk for Nigerians in Diaspora
- Edo governor hails initiatives
From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
In a bid to ensure an enabling business environment and service delivery to Nigerians, President Muhammadu Buhari, has called for diligent utilisation and effective delivery of qualitative service.
Buhari made the call during the launch of the Nigeria Global Business Match (NGBM), an online business match-making portal designed to match businesses in Nigeria with businesses around the world through a secure portal managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Also launched at the Tafawa Balewa House in Abuja were the Nigeria Citizens’ Help Desk, a 24/7 Omni Channel Help Desk offering calls, chats, and email support to Nigerian citizens abroad, especially in cases of emergency through a single phone number.
Speaking during the event, Buhari said the projects were targeted towards achieving the mandates given to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and would be extremely beneficial to Nigerians abroad.
Buhari who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, appreciated partner ministries, departments and agencies for their contributions and support, particularly those that provided database access for verification purposes.
“I would like to urge the staff of the Ministry, especially those who will interface directly with this system to utilise them diligently and ensure effective delivery of qualitative service to Nigerian citizens,” Buhari said.
Buhari further reiterated the need to maintain the legacy projects, as well as improve upon them as innovation permits so that they can compete globally.
Speaking earlier, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, said the ministry felt the need to leverage its physical presence in a hundred countries around the world to promote the portal and direct the attention of the businesses in those hundred countries to the portal where Nigerian businesses would be able to upload all their information, as well as foreign businesses, in a secure environment as supported by the government, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and others.
“Secure environment in which businesses can meet each other. And hopefully, we will be able to have a live match,” Onyeama said.
Onyeama further said the portal will be a unique matching tool for businesses and open up the world for Nigerian businesses seamlessly.
Onyeama stated that the second initiative was part of the Ministry’s citizens’ diplomacy, saying that there were huge numbers of Nigerians around the world.
“That is one of the reasons why I am also delighted that the Executive Governor of Edo State was able to come here because he has been a champion for the Nigerian trafficking victims around the world and he has been extremely engaged in protecting young, vulnerable Nigerians who had been trafficked or who could be trafficked if the necessary measures are not put in place,” Onyeama also said.
In his remarks, the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, said the event was quite significant, adding that the platform provided Nigerians in the Diaspora and other relevant sister agencies with an omni channel that provides services where Nigerians can reach out for help, advisory services and also to report in cases of emergencies.
“This service would be of tremendous benefit to our citizens in the Diaspora who, as you are aware, are spread out all over the world,” Obaseki said.
Obaseki further said the recent Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the crisis in Sudan, clearly demonstrated the need for a trusted and dependable channel where citizens can report emergencies and seek help, especially from Abuja and Nigeria.