THE Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) is set to flux the Federal Capital city of Abuja with American businesses built around a well planned programmes that involves crafted projects for the year 2018/2019.
Executive President of the FCT Chapter of NACC, Mr. Chris Shaiyen said the Chamber is planning to have a survey of industrial capacity utilization of the FCT, do business partner search opportunity to seek out sales and business partners in the United States using a direct and targeted approach.
This, he said, is part of plans to strengthen the FCT chapter of the chamber and make it more feasible.
According to him, the leadership of the Chamber in the FCT is ready to make it prominent in facilitating investment partnership between Nigerian and American businesses.
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A digital rights expert, Tope Ogundipe has urged citizens of various African countries to use their power in the defence of digital rights and other human rights on the continent.
gundipe, who serves as the Director of Programs at Paradigm Initiative, was speaking recently at a digital rights workshop organised by Paradigm Initiative and held in Yaounde, Cameroon.
Ogundipe, who facilitated several sessions at the workshop, said “Citizens cannot afford not to get involved in the advocacy in defence of digital rights. Digital rights are as important as other human rights, as the digital space has become a most important centre for economic activities, access to emergency services and platform for exercising freedom of speech and free press”
“Citizens’ rights to express themselves online and offline, gather and disseminate information and ideas are important to the fate of democracy in Africa. Not only that, absence of data privacy and protection, illegal and blanket surveillance, internet shutdowns, and other rights violation all impact negatively on democracy and the economic development of a country. It is the centrality of digital rights that makes them the business of all citizens,” Ogundipe said.
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Many African countries have recorded several cases of digital rights violations in the last few years. These include the 2017 internet shutdown in Cameroon, arrest and persecution of bloggers and journalists in countries including Nigeria, Egypt and Ethiopia. The absence of data privacy and protection law in the majority of the countries also make them an easy target of data breach and abuse.
The digital rights workshop is an initiative of Internews and Paradigm Initiative and received support from Cameroon-based Afro Leadership and Centre for Youth Education and Economic Development. The two inaugural workshops were held over a 4-day period between May 2 and May 6, 2018, and welcomed sixty participants from different regions of Cameroon.
The chairman said this during the second General Meeting of the Chamber for year 2018, held at the Bayelsa Guest House, Central Area, Abuja on Thursday.
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“By virtue of our position in the nation’s capital, we are ready to make the FCT chapter at per with Lagos and Kaduna chapters and we have rolled out set of development projects towards achieving that”, he said.
Addressing members, he said the chamber will make contacts to potential business partners in the US
using a project team from a variety of discipline, do market studies that will show market size for each investment areas and how to develop them.
“We have since the last meeting tried to mobilise our members, especially the dormant ones, to woo them back by making them know series of advantages that abound in their membership if the chamber.
“We have upgraded our websites to avail members with needed information on how to expand their businesses and to attract partnership or direct foreign investment from our American partners.
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“We serve as a portal for the American business concern to find suitable and appropriate companies to partner with in Nigeria.
“As far as doing business with American companies is concern, our chamber is the first point of contact. So, we midwife and match businesses together.
As part of projects in the pipeline, he said the chamber shall provide a credible platform for members to attend trade shows in states of America and provide assistance.
“We have the plan to visit the. Vice President, the Ambassador of America at the US Embassy here in Abuja, the FCT Minister as well as the Minister of Trade and Investment.
“Part of our plan is that before our next meeting we are going to seek appointment with the Commercial Attache of the American Embassy to come and give a talk during our next meeting. This will boost the morale of members and greatly assist them in making investment decisions. This will at least give members confidence that
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“We will also pay adequate attention to training and education to put members on the right investment pedestal. To develop capacity building services for business advancement especially Small and Medium Enterprises.
“Another is best job creation and business development project. This is because Chambers of Commerce are a force for economic growth, job creation and prosperity.
The chairman added that NACC is looking at corporate social responsibility programme, by giving back to the society.
The meeting was well attended by new members, which the chairman attributed to the great membership drive of the executive.
