NACCIMA pledges support for agropreneurs
The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has pledged to support micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the agriculture sector to boost the sector’s GDP contribution and create sufficient jobs for citizens.
Bassey Edem, national president, NACCIMA, gave this promise after his investiture at the 55th annual general meeting held recently in Calabar, Cross River State.
According to Edem, NACCIMA under his watch would work towards being the focal point for the development of MSMEs in Nigeria in terms of access to funds, assistance with feasibility studies and business plan as well as enhancing their representation in intervention programmes of the Federal Government.
Edem assured that the association would continue to partner with the government and other private sector stakeholders with genuine intention to move the economy forward.
The newly elected president, who described the association as a paragon of economic and social development in the country, noted that the theme of the Conference, “Policy Consistency in Agricultural Value Chain: a Key to Socio-economic Development”, was carefully chosen in view of the current effort by government at diversifying the economy.
He, however, called on members of the association and Nigerians to look inwards and go back to the basics so as to appreciate the contributions of agri-business in socio-economic development of the nation.
“The business community is facing serious challenges,” Edem said.
“In order to ease these problems and chart a course for the nation’s sustainable growth and development, we make a clarion call on the various tiers of governments, especially now that we have a new democratic regime in place, to create conducive environment that will make the economy a private sector-driven one. This is a sure way of making our country a prosperous nation that we all will be proud of,” he observed.
The statement signed by Emmanuel Cobham, director-general, NACCIMA, disclosed that Edem hails from Akpabuyo, Calabar, Cross River State, and holds Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Accounting from the University of Lagos and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Calabar.
He worked in the United Africa Company of Nigeria (UACN) plc as senior audit group manager before being transferred to its then subsidiary company, Pamol Nigeria Limited (PNL), where he rose to become managing director/chief executive officer, a position he held for 22 years. He was also an executive director of Dunlop Nigeria plc that later became the parent company of Pamol Nigeria Limited.
ODINAKA ANUDU