FRlDAY. APRlL I. 2011 .~.

Employment rises by 2.9%, weaker than GDP in LDes - Report Ronke Badmus with

agency report

Astudy carried out by the International Labour

Organisation has revealed thai between 2000 and 2009. employment in least developed counlries had grown at an annual average rate of 2.9 per cent. which is slightly above population growth but much weaker than Gross Domestic Product growth.

This was revealed in a statement made available by the ILO on Wednesday in Lagos.

The statement also revealed that most of the increase took place in the services sector, with the industry accounting for 10 per cent of the total unemployment in 2008 from eight per cent in 2000. The share wage and salary of workers increased sligh tly from 14 per cent in 2000 to 18 per cent in 2008.

"But the large majority of workers remained trapped in vulnerable forms of employment that cannot lift them above the poverty line," it added.

Rite Food unveils new

products

As part of efforts aimed at ensuring the availability of

quality snacks in the society. Rite Foods Limited, makers of Bigi a nd Rite Sausage roll , has unveiled two new products.

The producls are Bigi Spicy Chicken Snack and Bigi Apple snack.

During the inauguration of th e products in Lagos on Thursday, the Managing Director. Mr. Saleem Adegumva, said that this was part of the company's effort at adding value to its customers and the society al large.

He said , " We are ensuring that we maintain

. a leadership position in the sausage role bus~ss in the country through the provision of quality products at affordable price to our esteemed pUblic."

Adegunwa. who stressed the essence of ensuring quality of goods and services in the country, said thai the company embarked upon an investment that introduced the best machinery in the industry.

He added that the company was not only in the

' industry to do busiriess but to ensure that it added value to the Nigerian society while also encouraging nutritional products.

Rite Food. he added, had been in the business of providing quality sausage role and had also engaged in an intensive research in the past 24 monlhs before it arrived at

:;-\.~e fmal products

Accordingtothestalement, lhe study entitled. "Growth, Employment and Decent Work in the Least Developed Countries," had been prepared for the occasion of the fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries to be held in Istanbul by May.

Itexaminedthe relationship between GOP growth . employment and decent work in the LDCs within a longer term perspective but focusing on the last decade.

It also addressed a number of key issues in growth and development across the three main regions of Africa. Asia and the Island countries.

and also highlighted the challenges and opportunities for structural changes, job creation and poverty eradication . it ?dded. Comme~ting on the study,

the Director-General, ILO, Mr. Juan Somavia, said, "The primary labour market challenge in the Least Developed Countries is not unemployment but the lack of productive employment and decent work for the large numbers of working poor . .

"This is the main obstacle to the efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and set the Least Developed Countries on a sustainable development

route." Somavia also said that

the report also showed that growth in the last decade had been high but volatile because it had been based on exports of primary commodities rather Ihan a diversified production structure.

He said, "The massive deficits in public infrastructure, education and skills, constraining a more sustainable and balanced growth strategy."

As a result of policy neglect. stagnation of agriculture. weak growth irt manufacturing and failure to diversify, the study said there

had been a weak increase in productive employment, especially for .. women and young people, with a high level of working poverty. vulnerable _ employment, informality ' and -.~' ... " low productivity.

However. the report said, "Some regions and some countries have done better than others in theirpalterns of growth, investment, reducing poverty and social protection , among others . A key finding of the report is that what a country produces matters because it enhances learning capabilities that are the basis of productive transformalion and productivity growth:'

According to the statement, the study was conducted with a list of 20 policy recommendations and guidelines, including the need to promote sectoral and export diversification moving from commodities to manufacturing and macroeconomic frameworks that are more friendly to job creation and poverty reduction.

The study also recommended policies that supported the building of productive capacities in industry and agriculture, infrastructure and a critical mass of job-creating sustainable enterprises and called for better social protection and innovative public employment programmes targeting vulnerable groups, especia lly women and youth.

Accordingtothestatement, the report also recommended implementing labour market and social policies that encourage the transition from the informal to the formal economy, protecting the incomes of the most vulnerable groups, as well as setting up a range of labour market institutions to cover areas such as employment protection legislation and minimum wage .

"Minimum wage

• L-R: Team Leader, National Programme for Agriculture and Food Security, Prof. Anthony Youdeowei; National Programme Coordinator, Dr. Bukar Tijani; and Financial Control/er, Alhaji Kaasim Abdul/ahi, at the NPAFS Technical Reuiew workshop, in Abuja ... on Wednesday. Photo: NAN.

legislation, in particular. is a proven means to ensure that all workers receive at least a salary allowing a decent life for their families" , it stated.

Abia gets ultimatum over IFAD-assisted Somavia, therefore, concluded that the LCDs could draw on a range of experience of policy mixes to drive an agenda of structural transformation and decent work.

ABfA State has been given up to April 6 to

demonstrate com mitment toward the implementation of the Community·Based Natural Resource Man-agement Programme or be de·listed.

The CBNRMp, which is receiving assistance from the International Fund for Agricultura l Development and the Niger Delta Development Commission. is being implemented across the nine Niger Delta states. according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

The IFAD Consultant. Prof. Joseph Yayock, said in Umuahia, that the ultimatum became necessary due to the non-payment of counterpart fund by the participating local governments.

He spoke at a meeting with government officials and the nine participating local governments.

He said , "There must be a tangible commitment to show that the local government areas h ave paid th eir counterpart fund on or before April 6 or the state will be de­listed from the programme.

"Ordi narily. no local government area in the

state qualifies to be in the IFAD/NDDC projeet because they have slowed down the

progress of the programme in the last three years."

The consu lt an t expressed regret that the state government lacked the political will to support the implementation of the programme.

H e noted Ihat the implem en tation of the programme in Abia State had suffered a setback due to the non-payment of counterpart funds by stakeholders since 2008.

The consultant said that the purpose of the visit was to determine whether the participating councils still deserved to be in the programme.

According to him , each of the participating local governments is to pay N9.6m, annually, as counterpart fund and urged them to make good the commitment.

He further disclosed that IFAD/NDDC would contribute 22.5 per cent, loca l governments 45 per cent, while the participating communities would provide 10 per cent of the funding in kind.

Responding , the state Commissioner for Agriculture , Chief Joseph Ogwo, expressed surprise at the poor performance of the

state government. an operational agreement o g w 0 sa i d , " T h e to deduct the counterpart

government has looked into fund at source on behalf the programme and from oi th e participating local now, there will be increase in governments. participation and commitment H e expressed worry that and we will partner with \FAD. if the state was de-listed from

"Our debts will be cleared; the programme , it would the state government wil l be counter-productive as so liaise with local government many youths were already councils in Abia to give the hopeful of being empowered programme a boost." through the programme.

"Yet, each country must design a mix of policies best fitting national circumstances and priorities. Thesecountries also need a more supportive external environment driven by a fairer globalisation and greater .policy coherence, ': he added. He disclosed that the "This will destroy a lot of

state government had given things for us. We. therefore. He said the ILO was ready to partner LDCs, donors

approval for the payment of plead with IFAD/NDDC to as we ll as international the 201 0 counterpart fund . have a plan B for us should and regional organisations

The state Programme we fail to meet the deadline in a new era of growth , Officer, Mr. Mark Ezeala , for co mplian ce ," Ezeala development and social said that there was already said. justice, among others.

Kaduna sets aside N400m as loan to farmer

TH E Kaduna State Government has set

aside N400m to be disbursed as loans to farmers in the state, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Ramalan Giwa, has said.

Giwa spoke on Wednesday in Dgarawa, Sabon-Gar i Local Government Area of the state, while distributing poverty a lleviation materials to the people, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

The commissioner said that out of the amount, the state government had paid N200m into four banks for onward disbursement to farmers by June.

He advised individual farmers and cooperative societies to avail themselves of the opportunity to improve their productivity and living standards.

Giwa urged the farmers to follow all the necessary protocols to enable them to access the loan.

Earlier, Governor Patrick Yakowa said that the essence of disbursing the pove rty alleviation materials was to improve the living standard of the people of the. state.

He said that 30 persons from women and youth organisations were selected from each ward to enjoy

N20.000 support from the state government.

The governor also said that non-governm enta l organisations would receive more than N36m e,ac h for various development projects.

He appea led to the beneficiaries to use the money wise ly and repay as and when due to enable others to benefit.

NAN reports that the items distributed at the occasion included sewing and knitting machines, motorcycles, water pumps and hair dressing equipment. among others.