The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the Bank of Industry (BOI) have agreed to help fast-track the development of the country’s industrial sector in line with the federal government’s transformation agenda.
UNIDO Country Representative in Nigeria, Mr Patrick Kormawa, told newsmen after a stakeholders meeting in Lagos that the UN body would partner with Nigeria to assist the country to achieve its Vision 20:2020.
UNIDO and BOI had earlier signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 1987 to develop the industrial sector in the country. The UNIDO chief said that power supply was very crucial to the nation’s development and for its products to be competitive at the global market. He said that UNIDO had concluded plans to set up two centres of excellence in the north and south-western parts of Nigeria to promote the garment industry.
“Today’s meeting is not only to review the MoU, but also to expand areas of collaboration. This includes our activities in developing hydro-power generation for industrial activities,” he said.
Kormawa said that UNIDO was also working on small hydro power plants in some states that were willing to promote industrialisation.
He said the partnership with BOI had also identified some small hydro power sites that could be developed for productive uses.
UNIDO was also working on the development of agro-businesses in conjunction with BOI,adding that the partnership had also come up with an initiative called the “Africa Agribusiness and Agro Industry” which it launched early this year.
He said UNIDO was also working with some states to produce renewable energy from rice husks to run machines in the rice processing clusters. “This project is well advanced now. We are in the process of procuring the machines and once these machines are installed, power will be available for the rice processing clusters in the country,” he said.
Kormawa had in separate quarterly business luncheon of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, titled:“Industrialisation in Nigeria: Challenges and Opportunities,” said that within the next 20 years, Nigeria, home to around 20 per cent of Africa’s population, could account for one per cent of global gross domestic product(GDP).
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