Thursday, March 28Inside Business Africa
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Release dead assets to private sector, LCCI tasks Federal Government

Worried over the rising debt profile of Nigeria, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has charged the federal government to sell dead assets to the Organised Private Sector (OPS) to reduce the nation’s debt profile.

The president, LCCI, Mrs. Toki Mabogunje, stated this on the side lines of the official presentation of ISO 9001:2015 certificate to the Chamber in Lagos.

She said the Federal Government should urgently organize Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to turn certain assets into viable entities to earn the nation foreign exchange.

In her words, “The debt profile is a concern to all of us and one of the things we have realized is that as a country we have a lot of assets and they are dead assets. The federal government has property all over the country. There are many properties that are not in use. They should release these properties to the private sector, organize public private dialogues to turn certain assets into viable entities from which the country can make money.”

“There are other social services through which the federal government can go into a Public Private Partnership agreement. The government should focus on licensing like they did with the telecommunications sector. All they have to do is license and tax these companies to make money from them, but let private sector drive the growth, “she advised.

On the ISO 9001:2015 certification, she said the award reflects the chamber’s commitment to consistently ensure that its quality management systems align with global best practices, stressing that it also demonstrates its commitment to continuous improvement, excellence in its service delivery, value proposition to members and the business community in general.

“The journey in the quest for the ISO 9001:2015 certification began in September 2018. This process was facilitated and coordinated by our Human Resource Manager and our Consultants, Top Three Concept. Once the requirements of standard had been met, Bureau Veritas, an international certification body, globally respected for its outstanding contributions to management systems, audited and processed our application for Certification,” she added.

She said with the arrival of the COVID 19 pandemic, its processes have been tested, saying that without a doubt that the certification made it easier to improve on its level of efficiency, cost-reduction measures and overall productivity while also enabling the chamber to adapt to the new normal in our decision-making process and our digital transformation into the virtual space for business and operations.
Also speaking at the event, the Managing Director, Bureau Veritas, Ohioze Unuigbe, said the chamber is one of the first Chambers of Commerce to get certified to ISO 9001 standards, adding that the standards help companies grow to be competitive globally.

“When they start growing, they need to embrace global standards and practices to aid that growth and what this certification does is that it gives a quality management system that is globally accepted and accredited. It helps companies position themselves for that big growth they are experiencing and expecting. I think this is a monumental achievement and I will like to congratulate all the stakeholders involved. This is no easy feat, LCCI made it look easy, but I can guarantee you it is not an easy feat,” he said.

Source: Guardian

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