ACCI confirms agreement with 21 countries to drive economic diversification

The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry has entered into various agreements with chambers of commerce from 21 countries to boost the level of trade between Nigeria and other countries.

President, ACCI, Adetokunbo Kayode, said this on Tuesday in Abuja during the chamber’s 28th Annual General Meeting.

Some of the agencies which the chamber signed the agreement with are China Council for the Promotion of International Trade; Spanish Confederation of Employers Organisation; Casablanca –Settat Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Services in Morocco; and Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Kayode said that the chamber has restructure its administration with the goal to stimulate innovation, enhance efficiency and achieve a lean but efficient work force.

Kayode said the chamber has built new centres to develop its trade related activities, adding that these centres would be used to generate funds for the chamber.

Kayode said that the growth in the non-oil sector as shown in the latest Gross Domestic Product report of the National Bureau of Statistics should spur government to support the real sector of the economy.

He said, “The only way we can sustain the (GDP) growth is to industrialize. You need industries, you need to develop the Small and Medium Enterprises and be able to expand it more.

“Our economy has grown about 1.8 per cent but we need to improve the performance next year and it’s the private sector that holds the key to growing the economy. We can do this but we need the government to understand that it must add value to the private sector.”

HARRISON EDEH, ABUJA