Vlisco Group, FG sign investment MoU on cotton, textile and fashion sectors

PR@NaijaAgroNet:

The Dutch textile and design company, Vlisco Group, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Government of Nigeria, creating a platform for significant expansion in Africa’s largest economy. 

The Nigerian government in December 2014 approved a major revitalisation and reform of its Cotton, Textiles and Garment (CTG) sector. This will catalyse growth and jobs in Nigeria across the entire value-chain from cotton to fashion.

The pathfinding Memorandum of Understanding between The Vlisco Group and the Nigerian government details wide-ranging collaboration and support. Vlisco Group intends to offer Nigeria’s 188m consumers its four brands (Woodin, Vlisco, Uniwax and GTP). The Group will participate across the sector value chain from sourcing of cotton, textile printing, wholesale, retail and e-commerce distribution, garment manufacturing and supporting and promoting Nigerian fashion designers.

The MoU is expected to yield benefits for the Nigerian economy in terms of economic diversification and job creation in line with the Government’s Industrial Revolution strategy. Vlisco Group’s activities are expected to generate more than 10,000 jobs in Nigeria in the medium term. 

The Honourable Minster of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, commenting on the MoU stated: ”The Government of Nigeria is delighted to welcome this investment and partnership from the Vlisco Group into Nigeria. We are determined to rebuild this historically important sector with its job creation impact across the entire value chain from cotton fields to fashion. We are looking forward to implementing this strategic partnership with the Vlisco Group”.

Hans Ouwendijk, CEO of Vlisco Group: “We commend the Nigerian Government for its focus on revitalising this critical sector. The new policy enables the Vlisco Group to invest in Nigeria and to contribute to the building of a vibrant CTG sector. Nigeria is Africa’s largest consumer market and the opportunity to fully deploy our brands and business models in Nigeria provides a major boost to our growth ambition.”

Actis, as the majority shareholder in Vlisco Group, fully supports the Nigerian Government’s strategy for revitalising the textile sector. Fash Sawyerr, Director at Actis LLP: ”We applaud the Nigerian government’s focus on revitalising its CTG sector and diversifying its economy. We believe this significant agreement with Vlisco Group will be highly beneficial to Nigeria, job creation and to the Vlisco Group. We will provide our support to both parties to develop the intended benefits and economic impact across the textile value chain in Nigeria.”

 

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UN invites civil societies for special dialogue on sustainable development

NaijaAgroNet:

The President of the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly, His Excellency Sam Kahamba Kutesa has invited civil society representatives to a special interactive dialogue on strengthening Sustainable Development reports NaijaAgroNet.

The event scheduled at United Nations Headquarters in New York, NaijaAgroNet gathered would could at the Trusteeship Council Chamber on 16 January 2015 between 1:15pm and 2:45pm.

NaijaAgroNet also gathered that this interactive dialogue will take place in advance of the five high-level thematic debates and events that the General Assembly President will host in 2015 as a contribution to delivering on and implementing a transformative post-2015 development agenda.

The five high-level thematic NaijaAgroNet reports include debates on “Means of Implementation for a Transformative Post-2015 development agenda (9-10 February 2015)” while on March 6, 2015, the second high-level thematic debate on Advancing Gender equality and empowerment of Women would hold.

Further, NaijaAgroNet reports that a high-level thematic debate on Promoting Tolerance and Reconciliation would hold on 6 April, 2015 just as another session on Strengthening Cooperation between the UN and regional and sub-regional organizations has been slated for 15 May 2015.

NaijaAgroNet equally reports that the last in the first six months of the year 2015 has been been slated for June 29, on Climate Change.

The primary objective of the briefing as gathered by NaijaAgroNet will be to inform and encourage the contributions of civil society and other relevant stakeholders in the events.

The sessions, NaijaAgroNet gathered, will include a general briefing on the five events, followed by an open and interactive question and answer with representatives of civil society organizations, major groups and other relevant stakeholders who will have the opportunity to focus their interventions on key issues that they would like to see reflected in the framework of the President of the General Assembly’s events.

The interventions have the potential to contribute to the substantive background papers that will be prepared for the five events.

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Investment in ICT to boost healthcare markets in MEA

NaijaAgroNet:

Investments in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector are anticipated to boost the four core healthcare markets of Middle East and Africa over five years, reports NaijaAgroNet. 

Latest study made available to NaijaAgroNet by International Data Corporation (IDC), spending on Information Technology (IT) services and products among healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirate (UAE) will grow by 70 per cent over the next five years, expanding at 11.2 per cent Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over the five-year period from 2013 to 2018.

NaijaAgroNet also gathered that spending priorities based on the study by IDC will be strongly driven by healthcare policy mandates and efficiency improvement needs. 

In the context of a pronounced shortage of IT expertise among healthcare organizations, NaijaAgroNet reports that IDC Health Insights expects the demand for IT services to continue to rise in all four markets. In fact, IT services will be the fastest growing segment of the healthcare providers' market, with particularly intense growth projected in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Additional highlights from the data showed that spending on mobile devices and networking equipment will contribute significantly to overall hardware spending growth in all four markets.

In the software segment, NaijaAgroNet reports that system infrastructure software still accounts for the largest share of total external IT spending. 

While clinical information systems, NaijaAgroNet gathered, makes up the smallest share but will post the fastest growth at 13.5 per cent annually.

Nino Giguashvili, senior research analyst for IDC Health Insights, confided in NaijaAgroNet that all the four markets are set to grow at an impressive rate, stressing "While these markets present exceptional opportunities to healthcare IT suppliers across the whole ecosystem, it is the right time to focus on mobile solutions to healthcare providers' organizational needs, and MEA's healthcare challenges overall."

The study further gathered by NaijaAgroNet indicates IDC's Middle East and Africa Healthcare Provider 2013 IT spending and 2014–2018 Forecast provides IT spending data and forecasts for 15 technologies and five countries (Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates).

Anulekha Shetty of the Public Relations told NaijaAgroNet that the study has been designed to help IT suppliers identify short and long-term opportunities and for health providers to assess the state of the market.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE
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Nigeria targets 1,200 agro-equipment hiring centres - Jonathan

NaijaAgroNet:

The Federal Government of Nigeria is targeting 1,200 Agricultural Equipment Hiring Centres (AEHCs) by end of 2016, says President Goodluck Jonathan, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Speaking to NaijaAgroNet recently in Abuja, the nation’s capital, at the launch of Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP), President Jonathan also disclosed that before December 31, 2014 some 80 Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprises (AEHEs) will spring up.

He explained that AEHEs launch by his leadership is motivated to pave the way for the future agriculture programme pleasant to the youth generation who will see agriculture as business and devoid of undue hardwork will adequate fruit for their labour and as part of effort by Federal Government to mechanize agriculture.

Jonathan also explained that AEHEs is a private sector driven programme that will provide mechanized services for farmers across the country. 

“While over the next two years, a total of 1,200 of the Agricultural Equipment Hiring Centers would be established across the nation,” he said. 

To achieve the drive to encourage young commercial farmers, Jonathan told NaijaAgroNet, concerted effort must be made to take the hoes and cutlasses away from the farms and replace them with tractors and mechanized equipment. 

“The Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme (YEAP), which I am flagging off today, will further change the face of Nigeria’s agriculture. YEAP has been designed to create a new generation of 750,000 young commercial farmers and agribusiness leaders (Nagropreneurs) that will make Nigeria’s agriculture more efficient, profitable and competitive. They will become the CEOs of their own farms and agribusinesses, create jobs in the rural areas and reverse the trend of high rural to urban migration. They will help to change the mindset of the younger generation on agriculture,” he declared.

These Nagropreneurs, President Jonathan said, will become models and champions for our newly launched National Agriculture Schools Initiative, as they project to younger school children, the image of agriculture as an attractive and wealth creating sector. 

 
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