FIWON Center partners to increase productivity in the informal sector

• How FG laments low productivity

The National Productivity Center (NPC) has partnered with the Federation of Informal Workers Organizations of Nigeria (FIWON) and Streetnet International to provide specialized training and research aimed at increasing the productivity of informal sector players.

The Center’s Director General, Dr. Nasir Raji-Mustapha, who stated this while receiving joint delegates of FIWON and Streetnet International at his office, said the Center is prepared and ready to support all sectors of the economy in achieving growth and development through the implementation of productivity-enhancing tools and techniques , training and surveys.

FIWON Secretary General, Gbenga Komolafe, who led the delegation, said the trade union was at the NPC headquarters to discuss salient issues relating to the informal sector arising from the third National Productivity Summit hosted by the center.

Following negotiations, a joint committee of NPC, FIWON and Streetnet International was established to develop a memorandum of understanding on engagement in the areas of research, training and organization of the sector.

The Center is committed to developing the mindset of individuals and institutionalizing a culture of productivity among organizations to improve service delivery and quality of life through the promotion and advocacy of productivity, building productive capacity through training, workshops and conferences.

It provides organizations with professional guidance through advisory services, implements productivity tools and techniques to achieve improvement and growth through a productivity and quality improvement program, and measures productivity through measurements and indices.

After deliberations and discussions, it was agreed that the informal sector should be organized within the scope of the Center for Applied Research on Labor Productivity and Social Protection in Nigeria.

These include the incorporation of the rights and freedoms of street vendors into the national productivity policy, specialized training in tools and techniques to improve the productivity of the informal sector in Nigeria, applied research on productivity and the use of public places: a case study of Lagos State applied research on the productivity and health conditions of workers in various sectors of the economy.

Meanwhile, the federal government said it will continue to enforce the implementation of established institutional and legal frameworks to anchor policies and programs aimed at embedding productivity awareness in society.

The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Employment, Kachollom Daju, stated this at the annual meeting of the NCP held in Lagos recently.

Daju stressed that the Federal Government has made it a priority to increase the country’s productivity as low productivity in most sectors of the country has become an obstacle to achieving the development goals and aspirations of the nation.

She lamented that the manufacturing sector had suffered as was evident from foreign exchange earnings, limited job creation and an import bill that could hardly be covered by current wages, further explaining that Nigeria’s GDP growth in 2008 was an average of 1.1 percent. the last seven years.
She stated that government efforts to address low productivity include establishing a legal framework to regulate appropriate policies and programs.

Daju disclosed that the ministry, through its Productivity Measurement and Labor Standards (PMLS) division in collaboration with the NPC, has been at the forefront of federal government intervention by monitoring trends, conducting surveys and continuously implementing strategic initiatives aimed at improving the global productivity ranking.

The Permanent Secretary urged members of the Council to deliver a strategic and analytical discourse that will improve the productivity landscape in Nigeria, keeping in mind the challenges of insecurity, improvements in information technology, artificial intelligence and labor outsourcing, among others.
Also, PMLS Director, Juliana Adebambo, stressed the importance of productivity for any economy, stating that it plays a key role in sustaining the global economy, adding that Nigeria is no exception as it is the backbone of economic growth and development.

According to her, a country’s productivity depended on how effectively the economy transformed land, labor capital, and other inputs into goods and services.