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Charles Nwaoguji
At a time when global economy is witnessing a downward trend due to the ripple effects of the Coronavirus pandemic with countries focusing to salvage their economies by supporting businesses that can drive massive industrial growth, the Nigerian Global Business Forum (NGBF), an umbrella organisation for Nigerian Business Forums in the UK, USA, Ireland, Austria the Caribbean in partnership with Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture(NACCIMA), the umbrella body for all City, State, Regional , Bilateral and Multilateral Chambers of Commerce in Nigeria have joined forces to partner on a wide range of activities covering initiatives such as the development of Industrial parks,(light factories), organising of workshops, exhibitions, conferences, trade missions, policy advocacy and much more.
The objective of this historic and groundbreaking partnership as noted by Mr Afolabi Andu, President of NGBF, is to primarily establish Nigeria’s economic growth and ensure sustainability through the strategic involvement of both the NACCIMA Membership network alongside the NGBF members. Corroborating this, Otunba Dele Oye , 2nd Deputy President of NACCIMA emphasised that with this partnership, there is bound to be a healthy exchange of ideas and commercial interface between both organisations which will invariably be to the country’s overall benefit.
The strategic partnership between NACCIMA and NGBF is an actualisation of one of Hajiya Saratu Iya Aliyu’s principle objectives for her tenure as National President of Nigeria, which is to promote and develop all matters affecting business through provision of a network for national and international business. NACCIMA was established in 1960 to provide advocacy, trade promotion, business development, capacity building, research and mediation on trade and investment. Currently the organisation has well over five thousand registered members across Nigeria.
With oil price hovering around $30 per barrel and the country in another recession technically, there’s no better time for diversification into non-oil sectors of the economy for GDP growth.
Andu further reiterated the view that no one can help to develop our economy, stating that it is not done anywhere in the world as countries view it as a slight on a nation’s dignity and an evident security risk to the country’s wellbeing. Hence, the need for paradigm shift rather than trading blames.
He also pointed that most of the Asian and Far Eastern brands globally recognized today, emerged through the vision of Industrial Parks where quality national brands were initially established now resulting into global Brands.
