Nigeria National Accreditation System’s Post

Transcript

Stover tonight, the program will focus on one year of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu presidency and will deep in conversation on multisectoral performance under the Renewed Hope Agenda. And to comprehensively lock the gains in one fold in an open, clear and transparent perspective. Would be bringing you top economic managers of the Tinubu presidency who will take us on a journey through the one year under review. All right, that report sets the tone for tonight's discussion. Let's start by introducing our guest tonight would like to welcome to this program for the very first time, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Valedo. Minister, thanks for being here. Thank you for having me, Sir. Thank you. Let me also welcome. So that's program. Senator Abubakar Carry, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security. Minister, thanks for being here. Thank you once again. I'm back here right this second time we're out of this program. Thank you very much. OK, let's welcome also Celestino Kanga. He is the director general, Nature Center Abu worker Carry. The very first thing anyone would say is. Everything comes down to having food. And shelter and food is extremely important in this case. So the same question I would put to you in one year of this administration. How has it been in terms of food security and what are we looking at? Well, I would say tough. It's been a Herculean challenge. But I'm happy to say that the President, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, from the onset identified that these. Food insecurity when he declared the emergency on food on July 13th of 2023. And subsequently when we were sworn in. We renamed the Federal Minister of Agriculture, Rural Department Development to Federal Minister of Agriculture and Food Security and that's an emphasis again, the 2nd emphasis. Then the third emphasis came just barely 2-3 weeks after we were sworn in on our first Fair Executive Council when Mr. President unveiled his eight point agenda on which number one was food security. So that in itself gives us the mandate. The marching orders to make sure that we succeed in that direction. Now, like I said, it's been tough. Because they've been so many, like one of the speakers in the in the in the preview said was It wasn't something that started today. Was long time in the making, but I'll just take you through just recent times through COVID, the flooding and and all what have you that impacted on food production. And that also because when we look at the situation today, we look at in terms of supply and demand, whenever the demand is, is increasing because of our population is increasing and then the supply is yet to meet up. With that growth in demand, the tendency of prices going up is is there, but also the tendency for food shortages are also are also there. But what we want, what we went on on the onset was to ramp up production. And I'm happy the honourable Minister for Coordinating Minister for Economy is here who leads the economic management team and we went ahead first. The first phase of the dry season. Now, mind you, what we have so far seen in the first year of President Bola Amitin Mussina is only one cultivation. So we are yet to go into the wet season cultivation. In fact even we have not even harvested the second part of the dry season because dress is in itself is divided into two parts. 1st plantation is flood, first planting is around November, December, then the second one is around March, April and then harvest that one. The first one harvests in in March and which I'm happy to announce that we have done a tremendous service in terms of wheat where we got the support. From the African Development Bank with the loan of the $134 million, OK. So what you've talked about and would also look at some of these areas we've talked about. But let's come to Mr. Conger and say generally on the general outlook, how would you rate this period that's under review? Cereal this period the the, the federal government have done marvelous marvelously, very well. Some of them are very silent that the ordinary Nigerians may not see it. And I think that's why we're here and I will give you a very good example. The accreditation system is the system that provides. Certification for products for export. Inspection for whether incoming and outgoing activities such that when he leaves his country, the certificate issued here will be accepted globally. We have had challenges for that since 2030, thirty years ago. And of course we're all aware that in the past we we had stories of project product rejects gives rejects for different destinations within this short time that this. Current government took took off. We we made a 20 year leap from the June June 23rd to June 29th. The international body for accreditation globally, international accreditation forum and international laboratory. Traditional laboratory cooperation both coming to Nigeria to for the first timing in since our independence to look at the strength of our accreditation system so that they can grant us that status that allows our certificates We issue here to allow our goods land in destination countries and shall not be subject to retesting, reinspection and recertification. We call it peer evaluation and we're having 312 countries selected. From different parts of the group to come. So this is something we are achieving because this current government immediately they came in, began to implement the National quality policy that was approved by the previous administration. But implementation, implementation took off immediately when the administration came in and of course the National Council is in place. Under the Presidency, the National Council is chaired by Barista Osita Bulma, the past immediate Pastor DG of SON. So I think that's a very quiet board, very, very key milestone we achieving in terms of ensuring that our non oil export can now receive appropriate respect it deserves outside and bringing the revenue we need. Particularly when you talk about the exchange rate and the interest rate, these things would definitely will look at in greater detail. But let me return to Abuja studio here and engage. So let's you know Kanga once again. With the policies that have been put in place in the past one year, do you see more opportunities for citizens to get more engaged in the productive sector of the economy? Yes, the. There is opportunity that Nigeria and Nigerians need to take advantage of and that is the strength which which Nigeria is approaching African continental free trade. That opportunity is huge. The the wonderful work the Ministry of Agriculture is doing. Yes, we will feed up people yes who grow and show that we have. Enough for them well hopefully afford affordable rate. We also need to have those top ten top 20 export agricultural products which they are since this government, they are focused on ensuring that those non oil exports increase and who will do the export are people who will do the trading our people and with the larger African single market we have now I think what we need to do. And we have the population, we have the money. I must say we have the resources. I think this government, because of the way the, the, the the government is committed to the non oil export drive. Our people, if we position ourselves for especially the SME's and the manufacturing sector, we can actually rule this ACF, the African single market. And I think that is why Nigeria is repositioning our structures, especially the quality systems to ensure that our product and services can compete in that single market and then be able to bring in. The foreign revenues that we need, yes. So there's a lot of opportunities, but we need to take advantage of the structures being put in place, strengthen our quality systems, these standardizations, the certification issues and that is why our office, I'm sure many Nigerians who, who for the first time on the TV say who, who is Nigerian National Accreditation System. It is the effort of the government to ensure that our goods don't get rejected anymore. That's why I'm glad that. In one year and like I said, we have made a 20 year leap by the next month Pierre valuation that is taking place.