BusinessDay 12 Apr 2018

Thursday 12 April 2018
BusinessDay launches TV app
BusinessDay videos
are now available
to smartphone users
with the launch
of the BusinessDay TV
App. The app is available to
download from Google Play
Store.
The app shows the latest
BusinessDay videos, including
high-quality analysis
and coverage of the leading
stories and issues in politics,
business and finance. It
also broadcasts culture and
lifestyle features and a text
scroller of the latest BusinessDay
news headlines.
According to Frank Aigbogun,
publisher of BusinessDay,
“We see great demand
for our video content
on Businessdayonline.com,
YouTube and through our
mobile apps – video views
in 2017 were up 11 percent.
Mobile app extends our
journalism to the ‘digital
living room,’ further demonstrating
our commitment
LCCI celebrates business excellence at
2018 commerce, industry awards
Lagos Chamber of Commerce
and Industry
(LCCI) has concluded
plans to honour excellence
in business at its 2018
Commerce/Industry Awards
holding May 1, in Lagos.
This year’s edition, the
fifth in the series, promises to
be an improved edition and
hopes to attract major players
in the various sectors of
the Nigerian economy.
Muda Yusuf, director-general,
LCCI, said: “The objective
of the annual awards is to recognise,
celebrate and promote
private and public institutions
that have exhibited the core
values of best business practices,
growth through innovations,
business sustainability
and have positively impacted
the society.”
Yusuf said, “The LCCI
Commerce and Industry
Awards prides itself as a cred-
Obaseki okays construction of 60 roads,
Amagba Road for reconstruction
Edo State governor,
Godwin Obaseki,
has approved the
construction of 60
roads across the state’s 18
local government areas
(LGAs), to bring development
closer to the people
and open up rural communities
for business activities.
Obaseki said infrastructural
development being
pursued by the government
would engender job creation
and poverty alleviation,
as 7,000 youths would be engaged
during the road construction.
Obaseki, who was represented
by his chief of staff,
Taiwo Akerele, during the
inspection of ongoing road
construction at Ogunmwenyin
community, Lucky
Way, Osayande Ize-Iyamu
Drive and Nneka Street in
to subscribers by delivering
content through new
channels. We’re delighted
to partner with Kalibrate
Africa to bring BusinessDay
videos to a wider audience.”
Hercules Venter, Kalibrate
Africa, co-founder,
said, “There is no doubt
about the role that video
content plays in our lives
today. However, the major
change is actually reflected
in the means to distribute
it.”
The app is available
to download from Google
Play Store and access
via Progressive Web App
direct on mobile, tablet,
or desktop at https://
tv.businessdayonline.com.
“Progressive Web Apps
are multi-platform. They
adapt perfectly to any
screen they’re used on mobile,
tablet, or desktop. They
are just as good in terms of
design as they are in features.”
ible platform where winners
emerge through a painstaking
selection process supported
by robust research
and market intelligence.
Some of the awards categories
to be won at the prestigious
event include: Award
for Excellence in sectors of
the economy such as Banking,
Insurance, Health Care,
Manufacturing, Real Estate,
Aviation, Pharmaceuticals,
Education, Media among
others.
“The LCCI aims to celebrate
deserving corporate
organisations and public
institutions that have made
remarkable contribution to
the development of commerce
and industry, and
the economy at large. Good
corporate governance is
also a major consideration
in the evaluation of nominees
for the award.”
Ugbor Village, said, “The
roads to be constructed are
semi-rural/urban roads,
ranging from 1 to 1.5 kilometres.
The effort is geared towards
deepening the spread
of economic enablers to engender
development.”
The inspection train also
got to Amagba Community,
where the governor assured
of the re-construction of
the road, noting, “We don’t
talk too much but we assure
you that the construction
of Amagba Road will commence
soon.”
He said, “In road construction,
there are procurement
processes and procedures
that are involved and
must be followed. By the
time these processes and
procedures are completely
addressed, the construction
of other roads will com-
C002D5556
BUSINESS DAY
37
NEWS
US calls for greater push in entrepreneurship,
sees bright future for Nigeria
IGNATIUS CHUKWU
United States of
America says Nigeria
future is bright,
and has called for
greater push in the direction
of entrepreneurship. This is
as the US Consulate General
in Nigeria says only Nigerians
possess the answers they seek
in the nation’s problems.
These were the highlights
at the opening ceremony of
a two-day entrepreneurship
academy in Port Harcourt,
Rivers State, held at the Institute
of Petroleum Studies
(IPS) in the University of Port
Harcourt by the US Consul-
General’s office in Lagos, in
collaboration with Field of
Skills and Dreams (FSD) VTE
Academy, which began on
Tuesday.
In her welcome remarks
to usher in the Consul-General,
Darcy Zotter, the direc-
tor of public affairs section
of the US Consulate General
in Lagos, sent the eager entrepreneurs
on cloud nine
when she said, “The future of
Nigeria is utmost. People talk
of so many problems, power,
insecurity, education, poverty,
jobs, etc, but does that
mean Nigeria has no future?
We firmly believe that with
the right tools, Nigeria has a
bright future.”
Zotter went on: “With
trained entrepreneurs, Nigeria
has a great future. The
result of the first workshop in
Lagos shows it. The US wants
to build wealth creators; we
say, look upon entrepreneurship,
not always focusing on
the negatives such as insecurity,
Boko Haram, power
failures, education problems,
you know them.
“Let Nigerian youths look
for solutions and answers;
you have the answers. If you
L-R: Rotimi Fadipe, supply chain director, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc; Salim Saleh Muhammad, national president, Wheat Farmers
Association of Nigeria (WFAN); Thabo Mabe, group managing director, Dangote Flour Mills plc; Paul Gbededo, group managing
director, Flour Mills of Nigeria plc, and Bolaji Anifowose, commercial director, Ola Grains, during the unveiling and presentation
of multi-crop Threshers to the Wheat Farmers Association of Nigeria, in Lagos.
Pic by Olawale Amoo
mence as contractors will be
mobilised to site.”
The governor explained
that the focus on constructing
rural roads was to open new
areas for enhanced economic
activity and improved livelihoods
for the people, especially
agrarian communities,
from whence people need to
move agro-produce to cities.
“The road construction
will reduce the level of poverty
in rural areas as the construction
of roads will open the
areas for economic activities.
The roads to be constructed
will open up communities
outside the state capital to development,”
he said.
He said the inspection
exercise was to ensure that
contractors handling the projects
work in accordance with
specification for the projects,
adding,
Edo assures of robust healthcare ecosystem with
insurance scheme, 500 primary, super tertiary centres
As the Edo State government
intensifies
work on the reform
of the health sector,
the governor, Godwin
Obaseki, has said the soonto-be-unveiled
state health
insurance scheme and construction
of 500 primary
healthcare centres (PHCs)
across the state will guarantee
accessible and affordable
healthcare.
The governor said there iwa
a nexus between the health
insurance scheme and the
PHCs, as the symbiotic relationship
would ensure health
needs were met with minimal
cost and effort, across the different
parts of the state.
He stressed that the revamp
of the healthcare sector is on
course and that government
will ensure that relevant institutions
and policies are put in
place to drive the reforms and
sustain gains to be recorded.
ask me for solutions to Nigeria,
I will say, I do not know;
you have the answers. There
is no need to run to anywhere
else for answers; the US can
only help to create the platforms
but you have to have
the answers.”
The CG who declared the
workshop open explained
that one of the primary goals
of the US Mission in Nigeria
is to support Nigeria’s economic
development.
In the Consul-General
welcoming remarks, F. John
Bray, said one of US Mission
Nigeria’s primary goals was
to support Nigeria’s economic
development.
According to Bray, the
US Department of State supports
entrepreneurs all over
the world through training
and mentoring, while also
working with governments
to create enabling environments
and entrepreneurial
According to Obaseki, “we
are undertaking a holistic
revamp of the health sector
to ensure that the people are
best served and that they do
not have to spend so much
to get quality healthcare. All
of these reforms are interconnected
and we are doing this
because we have a big plan;
we won’t do things in tokens.
“Every aspect of the health
sector is covered. So, much
as our focus is on primary
healthcare, we are not oblivious
of the need for tertiary
and specialist care. So, all of
these are captured in the reforms
we are pursuing.”
The governor said that the
focus on primary healthcare
is responsible for the construction
of the 500 Primary
Healthcare Centres (PHC)
across the state, noting that
the state government intends
to work with the Federal Ministry
of Health through the
cultures.
He said, “There is growing
evidence that entrepreneurs
the world over are the drivers
of job growth. The United
States government is firmly
convinced that in addition to
creating jobs and expanding
economic opportunities, entrepreneurship
contributes
to political stability and a vibrant
civil society.”
He said 75 percent of the
16 million businesses in the
US were owned by individuals
(entrepreneurs).
Leading business leaders
including Sahara Group cofounder,
Tonye Cole, Emzor
Pharmaceutical CEO, Stella
Okoli, Andela co-founder,
Iyin Aboyeji, award-winning
designer, Zizi Cardow, and
senior executives of prominent
commercial banks
mentored and trained the
participating young entrepreneurs.
National Primary Healthcare
Development Agency (NPH-
DA) in addressing challenges
facing primary health care
system in the state.
“The 500 PHCs will cater to
the health care need of those
in rural areas, contribute
to strengthening the state’s
healthcare sector and engender
speedy response to health
emergencies.”
He added that the primary
health insurance scheme,
the legislation for which has
reached advanced stage at
the Edo State House of Assembly,
would bring succour
to our people.
“It is a scheme that will
be open to all Edo people, as
against being just for civil servants.
This scheme will ensure
that people access health care
with minimal cost and even
when they get to the health
centres, they would be assured
of quality health care,” he said.