Africapitalism – Pathway to Socio-Economic Development of Africa, with special reference to Nigeria by Jones O. Edobor, PhD Delivered at the NIDOE Project Summit 2017 In collaboration with African Tide Union e.v. On May 27, 2017 At the Lensing Carree Conference Centre In Dortmund, Germany

First of all, let me thank the organisers of this event for inviting me to make this presentation. I am honoured to be here today.

May I give you an overview of how I intend to proceed. The introductory part shall briefly discuss the growing population in Africa, the socio-economic challenges they pose, what Afrcapitalism intends to achieve and whether Africapitalism could be a role model for Africa. I shall also touch on some other relevant economic philosophies as they relate to the topic and discuss the role of the private sector in achieving sustainable regional development.

In the main part, we shall discuss the necessary macroeconomic policies and the role of government in creating the kind of enabling environment required for the private sector to thrive. I shall touch on the need for Africa’s economic and infrastructural integration to be intensified, amongst others.

Summarizing, I shall briefly touch on what roles the African Diaspora can play in facilitating the process of the development of Africa.

As I proceed, I intend to point to some pathways of possible solutions to the issues identified. Given time constraints, this presentation will not be exhaustive.

Actually, when I told some friends that I was going to Germany to talk on Africapitalism this weekend, they scratched their heads trying to figure out and finally asked me what that is? So, I won’t be surprised if any of you in this hall is also wondering about what it is. Before expatiating on or attempting an answer, let us look at the population figures of Africa to understand the urgency and enormity of the challenges Africa may be facing in about 50 years. The UN calculates that there are more than 7 billion living humans on Earth at the moment, from which about 1.2 billion (17%) live on the African continent, with an international trade share of less than 5%.

In fact, while Global population growth peaked several decades ago and has been decreasing since then, Africa’s growth has continued to see annual acceleration and by some estimates of up to 30 million people a year. Some estimates have it that by 2050, just 33 years from now, the total population of Africa will have doubled to 2.4 billion. According to a recent article in the Guardian, of the 2.37 billion increases in population expected worldwide by 2050, Africa alone will contribute 54% and by 2100, Africa will contribute 82% of total growth of 3.2 billion of the overall increase of 3.8 billion people worldwide.

It is important to note that Nigeria will be adding more people to the world’s population by 2050 than any other country, according to UN projections.

These rather alarming figures are calling for appropriate and adequate responses by Africa’s leaders.

A close look at the performance of Africa’s economy between 2000 and 2010 reveals that the continent achieved an overall average real annual GDP growth of 5.4% in that period. Regionally, for example the growth in the Sub- Sahara region was even higher, averaging around 7%.

These were rather impressive overall growths; unfortunately, these growths have not lead to significant job creation and the alleviation of poverty. This development is contrary to what Economists would normally expect from growths of 2% and above that lasted for such a long period of time, which is job creation. So, why hasn’t this happened? This is primarily because Africa’s growths have been fueled by increases in the demand for Africa’s natural resources, whose extractions processes are highly mechanized and are exported unprocessed.

To respond to these challenges Africa’s economists must dare to challenge the status quo and devise new approaches that recognize the continent’s specific needs, with emphasis on private initiatives.

The question you might probably be wanting to ask is, isn’t this what economic neoliberalism philosophy, with emphasis on private initiatives and extensive economic liberalization policies, such as privatization of public assets, deregulation, free trade, and reductions in government interventions, in order to increase the role of the private sector, is all about?

Indeed, economic neoliberalism was a paradigm shift away from the post- war Keynesian approach that propagates aggregate demand side approach with strong government interventions through fiscal policies.

In fact, renowned economists such as Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman and James M. Buchanan and many others, who have been championing economic liberalism have been demanding a pushback of the roles of government in economic and social development. There are so many philosophies that include “creating shared value, meaning the competitiveness of a company and its health depend on the health of the communities around it.

There are philosophies such as corporate responsibilities and social economic models, to mention a few.

With so many economic theories and philosophies around, so what does “Africapitalism” set out to accomplish that the other philosophies cannot achieve? The term Africapitalism was first used by the Nigerian ex banker Mr. Elumelu in 2010.

In an article for the “Economist magazine” in 2014, he described Africapitalism as the process of transforming private investment into prosperity and social progress throughout Africa. And that African private sector has the power to transform the continent through long term investments, creating both economic prosperity and social wealth. It is a call for a commitment by the African private sector to expand their scopes from merely seeking profitability in their ventures to a more inclusive approach that also consider the socio-economic development of the continent; by diverting resources to such sectors as education, healthcare and agriculture, social capital and mass transit, energy, finance and infrastructures that have potentials of multiplier effects, to aid local development.

In other words, Africa’s private investments should have social corporate responsibility components in them by combining financial profitability with wealth creation for all stakeholders that is not limited to the profitability interests of shareholders alone.

Some have described it as capitalism with African values. The role of government in all this is to provide an enabling environment.

Essentially, the philosophy is professing that private investments, while seeking profitability, should be long term (multigenerational), impactful and inclusive in their concept.

Indeed, the philosophy can be summarized as follows:

• Investment should be long-term, mainly in strategic sectors, with the intent to provide development dividends to all stakeholders

• Entrepreneurship: To facilitate skills development.

• The harmonization of cross border physical infrastructure that facilitates

intra-African commerce and trade.

In pursuance of the principles of the concept, the charitable Emetulu foundation has set aside about US$100million to target grooming about 1000 African young entrepreneurs yearly for a period of 10 years. Thus far, about 2000 African entrepreneurs are said to have benefitted from the 12 week leadership training programme and the alumni are collaborating and competing across Africa. This kind of charitable foundation is worth emulating and should be a role model for Africa’s rich people.

There is no doubt, that there are merits to this concept and that if it becomes the guiding principle during the conceptual phases of new ventures in Africa, it has the potential of transforming Africa’s future through sustainable development.

Indeed, if there was any time that the African people and leaders needed to sit down and discuss the future of the continent, it is now. As Africa’s population is growing, so also are its economic challenges. In fact Africa is not a poor continent. It is amongst the richest continents, as it concerns natural resources.

Africa’s misfortune is that it is being run down by ineptitude leaders, who continue to mismanage and squander its revenues. However, with rising challenges, revenues from the export of unprocessed natural resources won’t be enough to meet the needs of the continent in 50 years from now. Furthermore, this problem is likely to be compounded by the fact demand for some of these natural resources will decline as alternatives are being sought across the world.

For sustainable economic development to take place, at least, by growths not caused by the exploitation and exportation of unprocessed raw materials, Africa needs to start investing wisely, diversifying and strengthening its strategic private sectors with due consideration to their gender and ecological impacts, while ensuring that value is added to its natural resources before they leave the continent. Putting Africans to work can only occur through adding additional value to whatever we are doing, creating new products and services locally to meet the continent’s needs.

As the oil that lubricates economic expansion is confidence, ensuring government’s policies are clear, consistent and concrete is critical to promote the right climate for economic growth needed to create jobs. Africa’s leaders will have to ensure through smart policies that the benefits of the continent’s natural resources remain largely in the continent.

Indeed, my concern is that though Africapitalism (big business) recognizes the importance of inclusiveness in long term investments in strategic sectors but it offers little impulses to SMEs that provide the highest numbers of employment in Africa.

From macroeconomic perspectives, governments should consider doing the following to create that enabling environment for the private sector to thrive:

 

Access to Capital

Africa’s capital markets have to be oriented towards its private sector needs and moved away from short term equity investors that are driven by quick returns, which dictates interest rates to the disadvantage of the SMEs. FDIs mostly get attracted to places with investment friendly climates. Monetary policies should encourage commercial banks to provide affordable loans to SMEs. The bank of commerce and industry and other financial tools, such as crowd funding, amongst others to provide affordable loans to SMEs should be strengthened or promoted.

The planned Nigerian Diaspora Bond, while seeking profitability, should consider focussing on providing business support for social technology ventures, including knowledge transfer activities, mentorship and providing access to funding for viable start-ups Innovativeness and technology

Initiatives linked to adding value to endogenous resources should be supported through tax incentives and even through some direct financial aids.

This is because such endogenous resources linked initiatives are more likely to create sustainable jobs.

Encouraging micro initiatives to create jobs and diversifying an already existing activity in order to improve on products and services don’t just happen by wishing it; it is a process that goes through phases of concrete initiatives and actions. To create the right climate for start-ups, the following should be considered:

• provide necessary packages that include financial aid, technical and administrative support;

• Encourage networks to place individual and small initiatives for guidance and support and to facilitate co-operation between networks to take advantages of both formal and informal experiences.

And to analyze successful experiences from which lessons can be drawn by new start-ups.

Education

Africa is not sufficiently benefitting from the outsourcing fallouts of globalization, because of lack of well-trained manpower. In most of Africa, there seems not what could be called a national education strategy, which clearly identifies the strategic goals the nation’s education strives to achieve that is backed by clear actions. A national need based approach may better serve Africa, which implies that the educational emphases are steered from universal to tailored local needs.

Let’s take Nigeria as an example; too many students in Nigeria are earning degrees in arts, literature and social sciences, while there’s a shortage in science and engineering graduates. Government should guide young people into fields where job prospects are much better and are strategic to the nation’s future.

Nigeria is known to currently lack well trained artisans. Steering more students into vocational or technical schools at a young age will generate more skilled workers that the private sector may need to thrive.

Create “lean” regulatory agencies

Too much bureaucracy slows down the pace of transactions, reduce productivity and efficiency. In too many places of Africa, business owners are confronted with redundant layers of red tapes that strangulate business initiatives, cost time and money and are generating nothing of value. Keeping regulatory agencies lean and compelling them to streamline procedures, publish fees, firm deadlines for completing their work with a clear mandate to remove outdated and needless rules would be creating an enabling environment that promotes the private sector.

Networking

Set up outreach networks for small businesses to find customers across the

whole of Africa and elsewhere.

The African Union could sponsor “buy Africa and invest Africa” initiative across the whole of Africa to sensitize Africans of the need to spend their money and circulate it in Africa.

Create a national jobs database

A national database enables policy makers to know of mismatch between the skills workers have and the skills that companies need at the labor market. The NIDOE database initiative could be of strategic importance to the country.

Corruption

Corruption is impeding the development of Africa, raising the cost of transactions, reducing productivity and efficiency, and harming the competiveness of the African private sector. Indeed, Africa’s form of corruption of looting the treasury empty and then transferring the loot abroad or converting it into foreign currencies and locking it away is like robbing a people and then strangulating them. These actions cause the ripple effects of money that only occurs when in circulation to come to a halt.

This widespread behaviour is exacerbating the poverty level of the African continent. Thus, this is simply not only a crime against the state but against each individual citizen of the country.

Frankly, so long as officials are looting taxpayer’s money, and transferring them to private accounts abroad, the impact of the mobilization of the private sector and the Nigerians in the Diaspora to invest in Africa shall be minimal.

The African Diaspora has a significant role to play in all this. It could start by avoiding rolling out red carpets for these looters and haters of Africa when they are visiting. The African Diaspora has to find the courage to stand out and walk their talk.

Draw tourists

Tourism is big business and international travel is booming. The number of overseas visitors is rising yearly. What could Nigeria’s government do to help the hospitality sector in Nigeria? For instance, by doing the following:

1. Streamlining the visa process for tourists and aggressively promoting travel to Nigeria.

2. Addressing the issue of security and safety

3. Identifying and refurbishing potential tourist attractions

4. Creating standards and improving on the skills and quality of employees in the hospitality sector

5. Introducing mandatory standards for facilities in the sector

 

Lure Nigerians back home

When considering the critical human resource necessary to get Africa on the path of sustainable development, it becomes apparent that amongst the underlying causes of the continent’s rather unsatisfactory state is brain drain. Africa has to find ways to lure a critical number of these people back home.

Nigeria for example is known to have hundreds of thousands of professionals scattered across the world that can turn the fortune of the country around in a few years. Hopefully, the planned Diaspora Commission in Nigeria will be instrumental in luring a critical mass back home. To this end, a diaspora committee should look at the following to work out

recommendations and action plans:

(i) Working conditions (ii) relevant infrastructure (iii) social service delivery,

(iv) confident building measures,(v) improving on standard of education

(vi) pervading corruption (vii) Security (viii) Energy/power (ix) Retirement

schemes, (x) mass transit and (xi) internet connectivity infrastructures.

 

Summarizing, given the emphasis of this presentation, I have intentionally left out discussing monetary policies; such as interest rates, price stability, exchange rates and which impacts they have on the private sector. You may wish to refer to my recent papers and interview on the issue.

For intra Africa’s trade to prosper, Africa would have to find ways to move away from its current fragmentation in regional systems to a unified system.

Africa with a population of less than that of China or India has five different economic systems that aren’t coordinating. At a time and in a world that is increasingly becoming a global village, the question is whether Africa should be fragmented in:

• Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS)

• East African Community (EAC)

• Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS)

• Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)

• UMA (Union of Maghreb Arabs)

Africa has to get better integrated and linked by standardized railway tracks

and connected by roads and waterways to cut costs of transportation. In an

essay by M. Arino in 2014, she wrote that according to data from the African

Union Commission, transport costs are 63% higher in African countries than

the average in developed countries. These high costs pose impediments to

intra-African trade.

Thank you.

Dr. Jones O. Edobor

Economist, lives in Vienna

(jones.edobor@gmail.com)

 

I’ve conquered music, arts, tourism, administration The Guitar Boy, hit-track master and international envoy of culture, Sir Victor Efosa Uwaifo, says he is music itself. He believes it and is proud… to announce to anyone who cares to listen that he has no match in the industry nationally, continentally and across the globe. In an interview with the Nigerian http://nigeriafilms.com, Uwaifo declared, proudly : I am my role model. I have reached a point that everybody looks up to me. I have achieved, I’m fulfilled. I have arrived and nobody

anywhere in the world has done what I have done.

The1966 ‘Joromi’ gold disc award winner continued: I have conquered music, conquered arts and I have conquered tourism. I have conquered administration. I was a member of the State Executive Council (under ex-governor Lucky Igbinedion) and a Commissioner in Edo State. I have conquered academics. We are talking now in my office as a university don. I have conquered entertainment, in music. There is nobody like that. I am an inventor and founder. There is nobody like that anywhere in the world.

His career as a musician began at age 12 when he started to play the guitar as a school boy. This was more like a puzzle to his parents, the late Princess Idusogie (mother) and Wilfred Uwaifo (father) and, even, among his peers. But he was undeterred in his mission and vision. The desire of his parents that he pursue his education without distraction was never ruined by the zeal to make music his best in life. The multi-talented artiste, designer, painter, philosopher and poet, is also a sculptor of repute. While going to school, he told his parents not to worry as he hoped to keep the family flag flying irrespective of their fears.

“They (parents) were really late but at the early stage, they were skeptical. I was still in primary school when I started playing guitar. I promised my parents that I would fly the flag high and do them proud by reading my books. Knowledge, he says, is learnt from the mastery of the alphabets ABC…etc while achievement and perfection go with mastery and application of a sense of purpose — being yourself, standing for the truth, giving joy to a great many people, watering one’s mind to allow it bring out the innate joy and radiate without holding one’s potential.

Victor Uwaifo never let his parents down even unto their death and kept his track towards the realization of his dream education career. I did well, I never let them down. I even have to eulogize them in their grave. Even in their grave today, they will be so happy that their son had done well and had done more than they expected. So much, so much, they were not actually aggrieved at my going into music.”

Born on March 1st, 1941 in Benin City in the Old Western Nigeria, which metamorphosed into Mid-West state, Bendel State and now Edo State, Uwaifo attended the Western Boys High School and Saint Gregory’s College (1957-1961). He has a National Art Diploma (Distinction) from Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, (1961-1963). Desirous to give meaning to the career he cherished so much, Uwaifo proceeded to the University of Benin where he bagged his First Class in Fine and Applied Arts (1993-1995) and later got his Masters in Fine Arts (MFA), (1996-1997) respectively. He is married with children

Sir Uwaifo came to fame with his numerous hit tracks that kept the world aflame. Among these are the Joromi, a Bini mythology that was developed from the folklore of the ancient Benin kingdom. This track was given a new rendition and made danceable with hot rhythm, well-articulated style, melody and musical accomplishment, or what ordinarily is flesh and blood. It sold over 100, 000 copies within weeks of hitting the public stand. These qualities brought the release to international limelight and it sold endlessly. Also, the sizzling Guitar Boy, saw the man behind the mask as a mystery and a fearless actor of the time. Guitar Boy, he said, was about an esoteric encounter with a mermaid. The track came when it should. Africa is full of history and folk tales. The wonder boy’s musical encounter with the mermaid followed the midnight visit to the dreaded river where it was strongly believed then that power, wealth and others came from. Sir Uwaifo could not allow himself to be defeated only by what he heard but wanted to have a personal experience. He did and what he saw became his musical narration. However, he never returned the same without a fruitful bargain with his hostess in an exchange of melodious rendition to the water goddess. The story is full of simulation of sight and sounds of the mermaid encounter.

“As for the Guitar Boy, the story is there. It is about my encounter with the mermaid. It was esoteric in the sense that it was a privileged knowledge and it is all told and I tried to illustrate that encounter in cultural form, he says.

The Oredo local government area star in Edo State said the centre, which to a first visitor, elicits the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful, is for the world, Africa and Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora.

The edifice harbours a great deal of choices of what tourists can lay hands on for relish and relaxation, as some of them raise pertinent questions and provide on-the-spot answers. Lined up in the man’s hall of fame are the aesthetic flight Boeing 0891, multiples of awards, the dual-purpose single guitar with piano, the double guitar, pictures of greater leaders and men of history, war and nobility and the historic slave circle. Also on display are the Eyon mask, the seven-headed spirit of charm and death, pigeon hole of human sacrifice and dreaded ancestral shrine, the deadly city of blood, souvenir shop and the play-it-yourself studio and a whole lot of unseen forest-like birds.

He spoke about the motivational spirit behind his successes and supposed regrets. I never missed anything. Every action I took in my life had been from my soul. Every initiative was originated from me and I planned my life and I followed the plans conclusively,he said. This, according to him, was in line with the firm belief in the philosophical saying: a work planned is better than no plan at all.

Even if you plan, if it is not good, it is better than you didn’t plan, he said.

The Ambassador of Culture maintained, with emphasis, that he has no place for any form of regrets as he is in charge for all his actions. I have no regrets in my life at all. I have taken possession. I have been in control of my life decisions. Time runs after me, I don’t run after time. They say time is against us; I am against time. I have a lot of things to occupy time. So I take decisions and any decision I take is a springboard to another level, he said.

The gifted Ekassa, titibitti, Akwete Mutaba, Sasa Kosa-musician has used all his skills to expose the culture of Binis to the outside world. However, he could not hide his feelings about the violation of music forms and structure by the present crop of Nigerian and African musicians. The artistes, he said, are scratching the surface of what could be called real music, due largely to what he described as foreign influence. “They are just scratching the back and surface. It came before all these foreign influence. They come with soul music, pop, swing and they have come with reggae and they are all foreign, he said, insisting that all these would fizzle out after a time. To Uwaifo, home-groomed music can stand the test of time and the artistes are people who are well-grounded in music and can make a living out of it from cradle to grave. But the younger ones in the industry, music is like fashion to them.

The missing link, he noted, is that they are not groomed in real music, most of them have not been to any school of music adding: computer has ruined them. Again, he lamented that poorly co-ordinated music had caused more havoc than the enjoyment. Music malpractice is just like examination malpractice, he said.

Uwaifo added: The problem is that when they want to play music, computer will arrange it for them. They are not the ones who actually played the music, and that is mediocrity.

The legend provided the way out of the mess in the entertainment and music industry, saying: Nigerians should be original. They should not encourage mediocrity and forget about cut and paste. They should learn to play musical instruments; and then have role models.

He added that budding artistes should work assiduously. They should have a sense of purpose and not run after money. If they really love the art, they should develop the art in them and then money will compensate them.

His achievements notwithstanding, music has not stopped running in Sir Uwaifo’s blood. He still has the charisma and the strenghth to give his best with the flute, piano and saxophone.

 

SOURCE –   EDOWORLD

A new dawn in history unfolded, as chapter members form  The Nigerians in The Diaspora Organization Europe  (NIDO) met in the City of Dortmund for a memorable Nido Europe Summit on Friday the 26^th of May and Saturday the 27^th of May at The LENSING – CAREE CONFERENCE CENTRE, Silberstrasse 21  44137   Dortmund, Germany

 

Distinguished Key Speakers, Entrepreneurs , Politicians, Community Leaders and NIDO Chapter members travelled from far and wide to experience and participate in an inspirational thought provoking event  packed with presentations, workshops, new partnerships, networking, media interviews and the urgent need to  plan and implement sort term and long term initiatives for the social and economical development of business, trade and an enabling environment in Nigeria

 

 

The Chairman of NIDOE, Hon Kenneth Gbandi  placed emphasis on the importance of planning, implementation of practical initiatives and ideas leading to national development

 

The two day event was inspired by a line up of incredible speakers of Mr Martin Grabler – CEO of Golden Power Energy,  Mr Boer of Mundus Fluid AG, The Zimbabwean Ambassador to Germany, Her Excellency MS Ruth M Chikwira.    Dr Jones Edobor  based inb Austria – CEO of Global Consulting,  Hon Collins Nweke basd in Belgium – EX. BOT, Chair and Councillor – Ostend City Council , Pastor Ibrahim Abarshi, Mr Stephen from Kenya, Honorable Rita Orji (Chairman for House Committee on Diaspora Affairs), Prof. M. Al-Amin (Managing Director /Chief Executive Federal Housing Authoritym His Excellency, Mr. Ogah Usman Ari (The Charge d’Affaires a.i, Embassy of Nigeria, Athens) and many others

 

For the very first time in The History of Dortmund, Distinguished Community leaders, ambassadors and role models visited from The UK, Austria, Ukraine, Russia, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, Nigeria and many other places came together for The NIDO Europe which also organized and hosted by The African Tide  based in Dortmund

 

 

 

The Chairman of NIDOE, Hon Kenneth Gbandi also expressed his appreciation after the summit to  Honorable Rita Orji (Chairman for House Committee on Diaspora Affairs), NASS Abuja, Hon. Dr. Henry Achibong and Hon. Soba, members House Committee on Diaspora Affairs) NASS Abuja), His Excellency, Mr. Ogah Usman Ari (The Charge d’Affaires a.i, Embassy of Nigeria, Athens) , Prof. M. Al-Amin (Managing Director /Chief Executive Federal Housing Authority), Members of ABM Europe, distinguished project presenters, guests and friends,

 

 

My name is Toni Tuklan, Famous T of the Tuklan family. I am the CEO of Tuklan Sports UG, Cleantone Records GmbH, Promotion Director of Royal Lion VIP GmbH, Kreiß TW Trainer DFB Stützpunkt Unna-Hamm , Migration and Integration Commissioner Designate of Werne currently based in Germany.

I am also Producer, Song writer, performing artist (Afro-Reggae-Dancehall /Rap/Pop/Dance) with top international hit tracks with Kontor Records and Warner Music Germany, featuring great artists like Sean Paul, Rico Bernasconi Ex-Master Blaster; Tito Jackson, Doc B. Edu Casanova, Ras Kimono, Beenie Man, Ce’cile, Anthony B, A-Class, DJ Bo to mention just a few

 

Members of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDOE) will gather in the western German city of Dortmund on 26-27 May to deliberate on how to contribute to solving the socio-economic problems bedevilling their home country.

The NIDOE Project Summit 2017 will discuss the role of the Diaspora in the development of Africa. The focus is, of course, Nigeria, with participants expected to examine projects that Nigerians abroad can undertake to give a helping hand to their compatriots at home.

According to the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of NIDOE, Kenneth Gbandi, participants are expected to actively contribute to the development of a “body of Diaspora viewpoint” on how the situation in Nigeria can be changed for the better.

A NIDOE-initiated Nigerian Youth Empowerment Project will be launched at the Summit. The scheme aims to provide youths in Africa’s most populous country with skills that can help them stand on their own. Areas of skills acquisition being considered are solar technology, agriculture and handwork.

 

 

NIDOE Project Summit 2017

Day 1: Friday, 26 May 2017

Time: 10 am – 5 pm

Venue: Lensing-Carrée Conference Center: Medienhaus Lensing, Silberstraße 21, 44137 Dortmund

Day 2: Saturday, 27 May 2017

Time: 10 am – 5 pm

Venue: Lensing-Carrée Conference Center: Medienhaus Lensing, Silberstraße 21, 44137 Dortmund

Contact: Hon. Kenneth Gbandi, Tel.: +491709878495

More information on the Summit at: http://www.nidoeurope.org/

 

 

Dr Jones  Edobor will be one of the Key Speakers at The NIDO EUROPE PROJECT SUMMIT taking place in Dortmund, Germany next week

 

Dr. Jones Edobor Oformiyon

With many years of Consulting experience in multi sector industries that includes Oil and Gas, Energy, Healthcare, Banking and Tranportation. Dr. Edobor is The CEO of Global Consulting

 

ABOUT GLOBAL CONSULTING

Established in 1993 for facilitating management know-how-transfer and financial investments opportunities in developing countries. We provide services in a wide area that includes providing technological solutions to challenges facing developing countries as well as assisting individual enterprises with gathering and evaluating information on the business environment of investment target countries, partner search and assessment, business planning support, financial engineering and search of funds. Global Consulting provides management services, through the provision of personnel, infrastructure and required networks to execute our assignments.

 

 

Monir Arimoku is of Nigerian and Egyptian parentage.  He is a business partner at Harleys Food ltd and has many years experience working in several business industries.

He was previously the head of business development at R Holding  (The UK and The middle east) and also has knowledge and experience in business development, project planning, real estate and various other areas
He studied civil engineering at The University College London
Monir is well traveled and has a huge passion for Life, people and places

 

Hon  Collins Nweke   will be one of the Key Speakers at The NIDO EUROPE PROJECT SUMMIT taking place in Dortmund, Germany next week

 

ABOUT HON. NWEKE 

He is Ex . BOT and Chair and Councillor , Ostend City Council, Belgium

Collins Nweke was born in Nigeria on 14 July 1965. He migrated to Belgium in 1993 and currently has dual Nigerian-Belgian citizenship.

Nweke has a good command of English, Dutch and some German. He lives with his wife, Tonia and two sons, Tonna Jessy (Teejay) Nweke (born 11 March 1994) and Chidi Rae Nweke (born 15 October 1996) in Ostend, Belgium. He is a frequent traveller to Nigeria, his country of origin, where virtually all members of the large Nweke family clan reside. His father, Obi (Eze) Adigwe Nweke, is a traditional ruler and member of Ndi Nze Traditional Ruling Council of his Igbuzo hometown. His mother, Loveth Nweke, died on 5 September 2014. In his speech accepting the Leadership Service Award in Berlin on 7 September 2014, Nweke dedicated the Award to his mother

Education

He trained in Mass Communications, International Business Management (BCom) and Management Social Economy (MSE) partly in Nigeria but mainly in Europe. He also holds a Belgian ‘Graduaat’ in Corporate Policy and a Doctor of Governance (Honoris Causa) awarded in 2014

Employment and Professional activities

Before migrating, Nweke taught English Literature at Omu Boys’ Secondary School, Ibusa. He then worked for five years at the United Bank for Africa plc.

In Belgium, he worked in a team providing the European Commission Justice & Home Affairs Directorate with comparative research and analyses of ethnic minority participation in European business and politics. He later led a team of students on internship from the University College of West-Flanders in the development of a resource center with employment services tailored towards the labour market needs of ethnic minority groups in 2004, culminating in a highly successful national conference of private–public partners. From 2001 to 2004 he was employed by the Ostend civil service department of Social Welfare^[3] where he established a digital Legal Research Centre for social and policy matters. He was co-Founder and first Chairman of the Jakoeboe Refugee Welfare Association in Ostend.

 

Nigerians in Diaspora in Europe

Nweke served as Chief Executive of the Board of Trustees of Nigerians in Diaspora in Europe (NIDO Europe) from 2004 – 2006 and as General Secretary from 2007 – 2009, and was elected Chairman in 2011. Collaborating with Global Diaspora in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Africa, Nweke was responsible for a structure with chapters in 18 European countries representing a Nigerian emigrant community (the “Diaspora”) of around 6 million, its objective to support the national development of Nigeria. Nweke played a leading role^[4] in researching and managing the Nigerian Diaspora input in the 2005 National Political Reforms Conference (NPRC) in Nigeria. He carried out research on the concept of “Out-of-Country Voting” and submitted a briefing to the Nigerian Senate on the subject, culminating in a vote in favor of writing the concept into law.

As Chairman, Nweke focused on Trade & Investment and the engendering of sustainable strategic management processes.^[5] He led a Trade Mission involving 45 Diaspora and 13 investment projects to the State of Osun, Nigeria in August 2012. However, Nweke’s efforts to reform the Memorandum and Articles of Association of NIDO Europe at a Summit in Zurich, Switzerland, were thwarted. At the conclusion of his two-year term of office in November 2013, he disbanded the seven-man Board of Trustees ^[6] and declined to remain in office.

I AM HUMBLED TO RECEIVE THE PEACE AMBASSADOR AWARD BY THE UNIVERSAL PEACE FEDERATION
ALL GLORY GOES TO GOD FOR BLESSING MY JOURNEY WITH PASSION, PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE

Dear Family and Friends ,

My name is Nuhu Lawal: The World Boxing Association, the undefeated Inter-Continent Middleweight Boxing Champion (WBA) and I am glad to be a Goodwill Ambassador to the Diaspora for Nigerian Youths Empowerment Initiative. I am supporting the Youths Empowerment Initiative – Donation/Fundraising for Solar Energy Installer’s Basic Training, ICT Capacity Building & Knowledge Transfer because I think it is time Nigerian professionals and business people both in the Diaspora and in Nigeria take the welfare of Youths in Nigeria very serious by giving back to them what they have lost by action and inaction of most of us. I am very concerned about the increased youth unemployment in Nigeria, radicalism and the pull to European countries for better perspectives. This is resulting in thousands of deaths in the sea and in the desert and any well-meaning Nigeria cannot stand aside and look

I am calling all Nigerian professionals, celebrities and businesspeople to join hands as part of our collective civil social and corporate responsibilities to support Nigerians Youths. I have studied this program which is set to provide: (Solar Energy Installer’s Basic Training), (Advance ICT Capacity Training and start up), (Green House Agriculture individual/ cooperatives), (Professional Hair cut & Provision of Smart Solar Energy Business Suit) and Tailoring Refreshers Trainings and Starts up etc, and I am convinced that this program will go a long way in empowering the youths and bring about economic emancipation for a large population of our youths.
Contact me on facebook @ Nuhu Lawal if you want a personalized donation to this initiative or contact
African-German Information Centre gemeinnützige UG, (One Stop Information Centre for Africans in Germany) Süderstr. 153, 20537, youthsempowerment@agic-hamburg.de or NIDO Europe Secretariat: Nigeria House 9, Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5BX United kingdom, information@nidoeurope.org. An interactive link will follow soon.