Yemisi Izuora
Presidential Committee on African Continental Free Trade said it is partnering PUTTRU Africa’s leading digital platform for the facilitation of investments in energy companies in the continent.
This is also expected to boost the implementation strategy of the Power Infrastructure and Services sector of the National Action Committee on the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement, NAC-AfCFTA.
Also the National Quality Council (NQC) has said that the implementation of the Nigeria National Quality Policy will unlock the benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) for Nigeria.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NQC, Osita Aboloma, who stated this in Abuja on Thursday said the agency would assist in providing a supportive National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) for the country, which consists of Standards, Metrology, Accreditation and Conformity Assessment Services.
He said this was necessary to enhance the competitiveness of products and services made in Nigeria.
According to him, without adhering to the international standards, the country may not be able to enjoy the benefits of the AfCFTA as products from Nigeria will continue to suffer rejects due to non-conformity with standards.
“When we analyse where the gaps are, we can properly advise the government on what needs to be done in the short term, medium term and long terms to ensure that trade and commerce within Nigeria, with our neighbouring countries and the rest of Africa and internationally is going to be to the benefit of Nigeria,” he said. Aboloma added that the agency would also convene a stakeholders’ summit on the implementation of the National Quality Policy and how it affects every facet of the Nigerian economy. The AfCFTA is a bloc of over 1.3 billion people which was ratified in 2021 by over 47 African nations as of August last year.
A letter signed by the Committee’s secretary, Olusegun Awolowo, said that PUTTRU’s technical expertise in energy/power funding, financial networking, credit enhancement matters, vast regional integration experience in the ECOWAS, as well as its pan-African posture, spanning over a decade, would be a huge asset in the Committee’s drive to actualise the goals of the Power for Trade Shop, PFTS initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria. According to Awolowo in the letter, “We look forward to an effective working relationship with PUTTRU as we partner to create the needed synergy for connecting Nigerian businesses to Africa”.
Meanwhile, PUTTRU has also been named the winner of the MEA Markets’ 2023 African Excellence Awards as the ‘Leading Capital Investor for the African Energy Market’. The feat announced by the UK-based MEA Markets, a quarterly journal, which is an arm of the AI Global Media, is in recognition of PUTTRU’s pioneering role in disrupting the traditional capital raising and investment process, by cutting through the challenges of bringing investable businesses and serious financiers together. Announcing the recognition, Kaven Cooper, Awards Coordinator said he was pleased to have worked with a brilliant assortment of companies that deliver supreme quality on a daily basis, as they offer something unique to the corporate landscape of the continent.
A truly Nigerian company with a global vision, PUTTRU, has consistently led the discourse on the African energy sector with data-driven reports and insights aimed at achieving energy security in the continent.
Such reports and papers include: ‘3 Must-Haves For Energy Projects To Attract Investment in Africa’; ‘Trade, Energy and Climate Change: Harmonising Nigerian and Global Concerns on Climate’; ‘Africa’s Sustainable Energy Transition: Assessing The True Costs’ and ‘Global Climate Politics: How Nigeria Can March to the Beat of Her Own Drum’ amongst others. Expressing her appreciation for the partnership and recognition, Monica Maduekwe, the founder and chief executive officer of PUTTRU said they are a global endorsement of the efforts of PUTTRU at making Africa better in terms of energy. “We are delighted that our efforts at building a better Africa are being acknowledged. It is a call to do even more with our various partners”.