Firm, Outsourcing Professionals, Hold Expo In Lagos

BRIEFS

THE Shell Hall of the MUSON Centre, Onikan Lagos, will, on Wednesday, play host to the first-ever outsourcing Expo, organised by the Resource Intermediaries Limited (RIL) in conjunction with the Association of Outsourcing Practitioners of Nigeria (AOPN).

Officials of the five-year-old company said the conference and exhibition would henceforth hold yearly, as part its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative.

A day’s affair, the event will commence with a seminar during which a keynote address would be delivered by Mr. Kelvin Balogun, MD/CEO of Coca Cola Nigeria, a major user of outsourcing services in Nigeria.

Speaking on the rationale for the programme, Mr. Ade Awonaike, Chief Operating Officer of RIL, noted, “the service sector is the most important for most developing economies. It is the largest contributor to gross domestic product, production and employment. Since it is such an important sector, developing economies need to identify their comparative advantage in services and potential export markets.”

Awonaike also noted, “developing economies are projected to be better off by $130b from services.” The expo will progress in the afternoon with an exhibition showcasing HR products and services from different organisations as well as an online job centre facility where employers can meet prospective and suitable applicants for available vacancies.

Resource Intermediaries Limited is registered in Nigeria to engage in outsourcing services.

 

Govt Tasked On Technology-based Planning

By Tope Templer Olaiya

TO grow the nation’s technology, sharpen its competitive edge and move from economic growth to economic development, decision makers at the federal, state and local governments have been tasked to adopt technology-based rather than economic-based planning to drive the Vision 20:2020 roadmap agenda.

Speaking at the President’s Dinner/Technology Evening held in Lagos at the weekend, President of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering, Dr. Edet Amana, said technology-based focus in planning is now being used by China and India to build themselves into superpowers.

“If we do not adopt technology-based focus for our national economic planning, there would be little hope for Nigeria’s economic development.”

According to him, the economy of the country has often been described as one, which has seen some growth but little development. “The growth is driven by oil production and sale sustained by foreign technologies. The development is low because of the near absence of local indigenous technologies. The only way to grow our development is to grow our technology,” he said.

Commenting on the recent report of the Presidential Committee on the restructuring and rationalisation of federal government parastatals, commissions and agencies, largely known as the Oronsaye Report, which recommended the downsising of some research and development agencies, merger of some and transfer of others to executive ministries, Amana said adopting the recommendation of the committee as it affects the research and development agencies for science and technology would be tantamount to a policy somersault.

 

Ajimobi To Boost Soccer

GOVERNOR Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has pledged incentives to footballers in the state to boost potential and national exposure. He made the promise while receiving winners of the Under-17 Academicals Football Competition at the Executive Chambers of the Governor’s Office in Ibadan on Friday. Ajimobi said he is extremely pleased with the team’s victory at the competition, pledging that his administration would handsomely reward the players and their officials in order to encourage them further. The governor, who noted that soccer has become the most popular game in the world, said it should be given the necessary attention it deserved. He expressed displeasure at the attention given by Nigerians to foreign soccer at the expense of indigenous game.

 

According to him, soccer is a game with social, economic and cultural values and should, therefore, be promoted for the purpose of unity.