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Centre blames poor performance of key sectors on low productivity

By Collins Olayinka, Abuja
27 November 2020   |   3:37 am
Nigeria’s underdevelopment over the years has been attributed to low productivity in various key sectors of the economy, the Director-General, National Productivity Centre (NPC), Dr. Kashim Akor, has said.

Kashim Akor

Nigeria’s underdevelopment over the years has been attributed to low productivity in various key sectors of the economy, the Director-General, National Productivity Centre (NPC), Dr. Kashim Akor, has said.

Akor, who stated this at the 2nd Nigeria Public Sector Productivity and Innovation Summit, organized by the NPC in Abuja, added that increased productivity at the various levels is a task that all Nigerians must be committed to.

He explained that the critical role of productivity in national economic development informed the establishment of National Productivity Centre vide Act (CAP) 70, Laws of the Federal Government of Nigeria, 2004.

He added that since inception, the Centre has been pursuing its mandate of stimulating and promoting productivity consciousness in all sectors of the economy through various programmes.

They include developing the productivity mindset of the citizenry through advocacy and training; researching in strategic productivity areas for enhancing competitiveness and economic growth; promoting human resource development in building a knowledge-based society; and promoting organizational excellence and best practices to enhance productivity and competitiveness.

Others are promoting the application/adoption of cutting-edge productivity improvement techniques and tools for productivity enhancement; strengthening of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through the installation of Productivity & Quality Improvement Programme (P&QIP); and networking and partnering with other productivity institutions and bodies locally and internationally for national development.

Akor maintained that the desire to push Nigeria into the rank of 20 largest economies in the world requires enhancing productivity holistically. He added: “Sustainable development can only be achieved if the economy becomes more efficiently and effectively operated. Great nations are built by the creativity, hard work, innovativeness and pursuit of excellence by its citizenry. We must therefore resolve both at the individual and organizational levels to develop the productivity mindset which will steer us to the great nation of our dream.”

He further explained that the summit was designed to provide a platform for reviewing, appraising and scaling ideas, innovations and investments required to build and nurture a productive economy.

According to him, it will also promote the relevance of productivity knowledge, tools, techniques and processes to the Nigerian public sector as the main drivers of government policies and programmes.

On his part, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, argued that for Nigeria to experience any form of economic growth and bounce back speedily from the effects of COVID-19 pandemic, Nigerians must increase and grow their productivity irrespective of the sector of the economy in which they operate.

He lauded the theme of the summit, “Thriving at 60: Economic productivity under uncertain times, cutting through complexities and delivering value,” adding that those that will thrive under the current uncertain times must be proactive and can deliver value added products in the ever-dynamic and competitive market place.

Secretary to the Government of Katsina State Government, Dr Mustapha Nura, who was conferred with Productivity and Innovations Award, for his sterling performance in Katsina State, said putting workers’ interests at the centre of government policies encourages them to be dedicated and improve their productivity.

He said: “In Katsina State, the government places a high premium on the payment of salaries. Since the present government came on board, the payment of salaries has never been a problem. Indeed, Katsina pays higher than most of the states around us. Government realises that early payment of salaries and other entitlements would encourage workers to put in their best.”

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