Bakole commends EU for partnering UNIDO to boost Nigeria’s industrial growth  

Jean Bakole, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) representative to ECOWAS and regional director, Nigeria Regional Office Hub, has commended the European Union (EU) for  partnering  UNIDO to  promote  inclusive and sustainable economic and industrial development in Nigeria and the ECOWAS sub-region.

 Bakole gave the commendation at the 7th EU-Nigeria Business Forum in Lagos, themed ‘Building Partnerships for Growth and Job Creation’.

  “I want to commend the EU for building and sustaining an excellent relationship and partnership with UNIDO and the ECOWAS sub-region. As the specialised agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development in developing countries and economies in transition for poverty reduction, inclusive globalisation and environmental sustainability, UNIDO achieves its mandate by creating shared prosperity, advancing economic competitiveness, safeguarding the environment, and strengthening knowledge and institutions.

“UNIDO promotes Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development (ISID) which contributes to the achievement of regional and global initiatives such as the Agenda 2063 of the African Union Commission and the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations with the associated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular the Goal 9, which aims at building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and fostering innovation. In our on-going efforts towards achieving our mandate, UNIDO has enjoyed the strong partnership and support  of the EU both at the global level and in Nigeria,” Bakole said.

“We have raised consumers’ awareness on their rights to demand for quality in their consumption of goods and services. In the same vein, we are working with the private sector to promote quality and build capacity for high quality manufacturing in Nigeria. At the ECOWAS Sub-regional level, the EU is also funding the West Africa Competitiveness Programme, of which UNIDO is an implementing agency,” he said.