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NIGERIA — The Minister of Industry Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, has promised that 2025 will be a more impactful year for businesses to thrive in Nigeria.
She stated this at the weekend during a Ministerial engagement with members of the National Association of Chambers of commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA).
At the event, the NACCIMA President, Dele Oye, called for a check on proliferation of trade fairs in the country to protect Nigerian consumers.
The minister commended the commitment of the private sector to the Nigerian economy over the years.
She said, “We are here to assure you that we are going to work very well together. 2025 has to be an impactful year – a very important year for Nigeria.
“We want to commend your work and your resilience all through 2024 and before.
“The ministry is here for you, to have a substantive discussion and to include you in the strategic thinking and agenda setting for 2025.
“I promise you that in 2025, one by one, we are going to work on all the issues that you have raised and we are going have actionable and measurable steps.
“NACCIMA is mentioned by name in my mandate as Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment to underscore how seriously President Bola Tinubu takes your matter.
“We have a lot ahead of us but with this type of open collaboration and sharing, I can assure you that you will see a lot changed in our relationship.
“And so you will hear from us formally in the coming weeks, and I will make sure that starting from January, you will begin to see the changes.”
In his remark, the NACCIMA President hailed the minister, noting that the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) is the only ministry with a full mandate over the private sector.
He said there is a need for continuous collaboration to make Nigeria a destination for foreign direct investment (FDI).
On the need for regulation of trade fairs, Oye said: “As part of our primary job, we have the mandate from the ministry for trade fairs. What that means is that we link industries with the market.
“This mandate we got from the ministry since 1977. But unfortunately, a lot of people are trying to use trade fairs to bring in inferior goods.
“So it is imperative that we regulate the organisation of trade fairs in the country, and we need the support of the ministry.”
