Vice-President Kashim Shettima has said that Nigeria is harmonising its laws to make cross-border commerce more seamless, secure, and scalable.
Shettima said this on Monday while inaugurating the oversight committee for the Fourth African Union (AU) Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Forum, in Abuja.
President Bola Tinubu recently approved the committee to organise the AU MSME Forum, which is scheduled to take place in Abuja from June 23 to 27.
Shettima stated that the Tinubu administration was determined to lead in shaping Africa’s digital trade landscape.
“We have reformed. We have invested. And we are resolved to see this transformation through.
“This forum is indispensable. It provides the blueprint, the platform, and the partnerships that will empower African MSMEs to become the heartbeat of our economic renewal,” he said.
The Vice President emphasised that the administration had taken bold steps to build digital infrastructure to connect MSMEs across Africa.
He noted that more than 83 per cent of employment in Africa lied within the informal sector, and the continent was rich in ideas and digital innovation, providing a unique opportunity to compete globally.
He highlighted Nigeria’s leadership in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Negotiating Forum and alignment of national policies on investment, digital trade, and competition.
He also mentioned the creation of a Technology Export and Digital Trade Desk to support Nigerian entrepreneurs in exporting digital goods and services.
Deputy Chief of Staff to the President and Chair of the organising committee, Sen. Ibrahim Hadeija, said the forum would facilitate knowledge exchange and collaboration on MSME development across Africa.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, noted that Nigeria hosting the event reflected growing international confidence in the country.
Sen. John Enoh, Minister of State for Industry and committee member, lauded the administration for prioritising MSME growth, acknowledging their vital role in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and national development.
He assured that all necessary steps would be taken to ensure a successful event.
Special Adviser to the President on Job Creation and MSME, Mr Temitola Adekunle-Johnson, who serves as committee secretary, pledged to deliver a world-class forum that reflected the Tinubu administration’s commitment.
He confirmed that preparations were on track for the opening ceremony on June 23.(NAN)
Speaker Tajudeen pledges transparency, inclusivity in Reps legislative processes
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Abbas Tajudeen has pledged to uphold the highest standards of transparency, inclusivity, and accountability in parliamentary activities of the house.
Tajudeen made the pledge yesterday in Abuja at the opening of a one-day national dialogue on the 10th House Legislative Agenda, organised to mark the second anniversary of the house.
The dialogue was organised by the House Committee on the Implementation Legislative Agenda in collaboration with Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) and NGO.
Tajudeen said that the legislative agenda of the house was carefully designed after intense consultation with stakeholders and partners in the development of Nigeria’s democracy.
The lawmaker said that the agenda encompasses eight broad priority areas that addresses Nigeria’s diverse needs.
The speaker said they include strengthening good governance, enhancing national security, revitalising the economy, reforming laws, and promoting social development.
He said that the agenda also advocates inclusion through an open Parliament, directs foreign policy in the national interest, and tackles climate and environmental sustainability.
“Two years later, I am proud to report that these efforts have yielded results. In terms of legislative output, this House has been extraordinarily proactive and productive.
“We have introduced a record number of bills and a volume of legislative proposals that is unprecedented at this stage of any Assembly.
“More important than quantity, however, is the impact these bills and motions are geared towards the critical reforms our country urgently needs. Already, many of the significant bills that we passed have received presidential ascent.
“As we stand at the halfway point, there is much to be proud of, yet much more to achieve. As we look ahead to the remainder of our tenure, let me reaffirm that the House will continue to uphold the highest standards of transparency, inclusivity, and accountability.
“We will also maintain the same spirit of legislative courage that has brought us this far, to enact reforms that are necessary for our nation’s progress, even when they are challenging,” he said.
In his remarks, a former Speaker of the house, Mr Yakubu Dogara commended the 10th house for the efforts in advancing Nigeria’s democracy.
Dogara who was the speaker of the eight House of Reps, tasked the assembly on implementation of law and motions passed.
Dogara who served in the house for 16 unbroken-years, said that one of the major challenges was implementation.
He said that no matter the words used in crafting the agenda, if deliberate actions are not taken to implement it, it will not amount to advancing development.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Mr Muhammad Dingyadi solicited collaboration with the house to advance labour laws in the country.
He appealed to the house to grant accelerated considering to the labour bills soon to be sent to the house for legislative consideration.
“I make a passionate plea to the House of Representatives to facilitate the speedy passage of national labour bills
“They include Labour Standards Bill, Collective Labour Relations Bill, and the Occupational Safety and Health Bill.
“When enacted, these bills will not only reposition Nigeria’s labour administration system, but will create an enabling environment for robust investments, enhanced productivity and attainment of social justice,” he added.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of PLAC, Mr Clement Nwankwo, acknowledged that the house had done so much in advancing democracy in the last two years.
He tasked the house to come up with laws that will address poverty and insecurity by giving legislative life to the conversion on state police.
Nwankwo also drew the attention of the house to the low representation of women in governance with only 4 per cent in the house and 3.7 per cent in the Senate.
He said more legislative work needed to be done to give women more representation in governance to enable women to be heard.
He tasked the house on electoral and judicial reforms and urged the house to ensure protection of human rights, saying that there is a surge in human rights abuses which should be in a democratic system. (NAN)