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FG Announces New Procurement Policy Shift Favouring Local Manufacturing

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The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a “Nigeria First Policy” aimed at prioritising the use of locally made goods and services in all government procurements.

The Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, made the disclosure saying that the policy seeks to domesticate all government processes.

The Nigerian government expects that with the new policy, local manufacturers will get priority in the provision of goods and services.

“No procurement of foreign goods or services already available locally shall proceed without justification, and where there is an exceptional need for these services to procure from outside, there must be a waiver to be obtained, written waiver to be obtained by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP),” Mr Idris said.

“Where no viable local option exists, contracts must include provisions for technology transfer, local production or skills development.

For example, the provision of portal allocations under the sugar master plan should take into consideration participants’ backwards integration plans and investment in Nigeria and ensure compliance with the Master Plan.

“The MDAs have also been directed to immediately conduct an audit of all procurement plans and submit revised versions in line with these directives. Breaches will attract sanctions, including cancellation of procurement processes by such MDAS, and indeed disciplinary action against responsible officers,” the minister noted.

The federal cabinet approved these proposals on Monday and the office of the Attorney General of the Federation has been directed to prepare an Executive Order to be issued by President Bola Tinubu.

This is a major shift in government policy, Mr Idris added. “It puts Nigeria – not foreign companies, not imports – at the heart of our national development.”Once signed into law, Mr Idris said, the legislation will “foster a new business culture that will be bold, confident, but also very, very Nigerian, and it aims at making the government invest in our people and our industries by changing how the government spends money, how we procure and how we also build our economy.”“Going forward, Nigerian industry will take precedence in all procurement processes,” the minister said.

This is a major shift in government policy, Mr Idris added. “It puts Nigeria – not foreign companies, not imports – at the heart of our national development.

”Once signed into law, Mr Idris said, the legislation will “foster a new business culture that will be bold, confident, but also very, very Nigerian, and it aims at making the government invest in our people and our industries by changing how the government spends money, how we procure and how we also build our economy.”

Where local supply falls short, contracts will be structured to build capacity domestically, according to Mr Idris. “Contractors will no longer serve as intermediaries sourcing foreign goods where local factories die. I take the example of the sugar industry.”

“For example, we still have so much importation of sugar coming into this country, yet we have the Nigerian sugar council that was set up to look inward to see how sugar production can be produced, you know, for the benefit of Nigerians.

President Tinubu has proposed that we will no longer just sit there and allow importation to come into this country where there is the capacity for production of these commodities locally.

Now, as I said, the president has proposed the following directives, and all of them have been approved by the Federal Executive Council.”

President Tinubu has proposed that we will no longer just sit there and allow importation to come into this country where there is the capacity for production of these commodities locally. Now, as I said, the president has proposed the following directives, and all of them have been approved by the Federal Executive Council.”

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NDPC Chief Advocates for Warehousing Citizens Data Locally

Olatunji made the call today during the opening ceremony of data protection peer review conference at the Continental Hotel in Abuja, organised in partnership with the World Bank, Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), and Smart Africa.

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The National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Vincent Olatunji, has advocated for developing indigenous technologies to support data protection processes, including breach reporting, compliance monitoring, and public awareness systems, rather than relying solely on imported solutions.

Olatunji made the call today during the opening ceremony of data protection peer review conference at the Continental Hotel in Abuja, organised in partnership with the World Bank, Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), and Smart Africa.

The conference is being attended by nine African countries – The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ethiopia, Burundi, Somalia, Malawi, Zambia and Kenya.

Delegations from the participating countries are joined by representatives of key regional organisations, including the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC), and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

Olatunji told participants that the initiative would promote East-West peer learning and strengthen mechanisms for building and operationalising data protection regimes across the continent.

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OPEC+ announces 188,000 barrels-per-day output increase in first meeting without UAE

“In their collective commitment to support oil market stability, the seven participating countries decided to implement a production adjustment of 188 thousand barrels per day from the additional voluntary adjustments announced in April 2023,” OPEC said in its statement.

Oil supply has been choked since the Iran war began on February 28, as the Strait of Hormuz – a vital shipping route for global oil and gas supplies – has remained effectively closed.

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OPEC+ has agreed an increase in oil output of 188,000 barrels per day, the cartel said on Sunday, as it pushes on with production in the first meeting since the loss of its key member, the United Arab Emirates.

CNBC reports that the group of seven major oil producers announced it would increase June production by slightly less than May’s output hike of 206,000 bpd. Sunday’s figure excludes the United Arab Emirates share of output, which officially departed OPEC on May 1.

The seven countries included Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman.

“In their collective commitment to support oil market stability, the seven participating countries decided to implement a production adjustment of 188 thousand barrels per day from the additional voluntary adjustments announced in April 2023,” OPEC said in its statement.

Oil supply has been choked since the Iran war began on February 28, as the Strait of Hormuz – a vital shipping route for global oil and gas supplies – has remained effectively closed.

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President Tinubu Leaves for Kenya, Rwanda and France to Strengthen Strategic Partnerships

At the two summits, President Tinubu will deliver statements highlighting his administration’s ongoing reforms to reposition the nation as a prime destination for investment and growth. He will also hold high-level meetings with top-tier global and African business leaders.

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja on Saturday, May 2nd, on a visit to Kenya, Rwanda and France.

The itinerary details are provided by Bayo Onanuga,Special Adviser to the President(Information & Strategy), as follows:

” President Tinubu’s first stop will be in France, after which he will depart for Nairobi, Kenya, to attend the Africa-France Summit scheduled to begin next week.

Co-chaired by President Emmanuel Macron and President William Ruto, the summit focuses on energy transition, green industrialisation, digital transformation, restructuring of global financing architecture, and climate action.

President Tinubu’s participation at the summit from May 11- 12 will underscore Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to strengthening strategic partnerships with African nations and the French Republic.

The summit, with the theme – “Africa Forward: Africa-France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth” – will provide a high-level platform for African leaders and their French counterparts to deliberate on critical issues affecting the continent, including economic transformation, climate resilience, infrastructure development, youth empowerment, technological advancement, and peace-building initiatives.

At the end of the Kenyan summit, President Tinubu will depart for Kigali, Rwanda, to attend the annual Africa CEO Forum, taking place between May 14th and 15th.

With the theme “Scale or Fail”, this year’s Africa CEO Forum will be the largest gathering of African private sector leaders, investors, and policymakers, focusing on accelerating economic transformation through shared scale, regional integration, and increased cross-border investment.

Held in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the summit brings together over 2,000 top executives and national leaders to debate strategies for building resilient, competitive industries.

At the two summits, President Tinubu will deliver statements highlighting his administration’s ongoing reforms to reposition the nation as a prime destination for investment and growth. He will also hold high-level meetings with top-tier global and African business leaders.

President Tinubu will be accompanied on the trip by some of his ministers and senior aides.

He will return to Nigeria at the end of the Rwanda summit. “

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