Binder1 by GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LIMITED

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business News

Friday, June 13, 2014

Invest in staff training, PenCom urges operators MESHACK IDEHEN

he Head of Surveillance Department, National Pension Commission, PenCom, Mr. Mohammad Datti, has said the commission will ensure that pension operators invest more in the training of their employees. According to him, the commission has summoned the operators to a meeting in Lagos, because it is dissatisfied with the attitude of pension operators toward staff training. Datti told journalists on Wednesday that PenCom has mandated all licensed pension operators to ensure that their organisations are represented at the meeting between the commission and Heads of Human Resources/ Training of licensed pension operators scheduled to hold on Thursday next week. “The need for operators to make adequate investment in the

training of its employees is of paramount importance to the commission especially at this stage of the development of the contributory pension scheme where issues of service delivery have become a major focus/concern in the pension industry.” “There is also the need to ensure that adequate measures have been put in place in terms of training to guarantee smooth succession especially during senior level exit from the business thus contributing to safe guarding the sustainability as well as to bridge skills gap in the pension industry,” Datti noted. Pointing out that PenCom views the issue of staff training as crucial to the growth, development and success of the pension industry, he said the commission has also directed the operators to develop a training programme/ calendar on a yearly basis indicating the training needs of each employee as well as ensuring that

relevant courses are identified for each employee relating to their own areas of operation/expertise on needs. “The basic areas trainings are to be given concerns new employees who need to get familiarised with the organisation’s mission, vision, rules and regulations, as well as an overview of the Contributory Pension Scheme and the role of PenCom; existing employees should be trained to refresh and enhance their knowledge especially with new development in the organisation and the industry”, he said. According to him, PenCom is stressing that operators should ensure that sufficient budgetary allocation is set aside for training yearly, adding that investment in proper training at all levels can only benefit the industry as a whole and the process should be continuous for as long as the organisation is in business, he noted.

NBC unveils new ‘smart bottles’ in Edo SEBASTINE EBHUOMHAN

enin City. The Nigerian Bottling Company NBC on Wednesday in Benin City unveiled new, ultra bottles with the same liquid content and price for the sales and marketing of Coca Cola, Fanta and Sprite, all products of Coca Cola Nigeria Limited. Addressing wholesalers and retailers at the unveiling ceremony that held at the Best Western Homeville Hotel, Regional Commercial Director of NBC, Mr. Tunji Akinseesin, said the new ultra bottles were safer, more portable, more durable and specially produced to reduce the rate of breakages of bottles. He stated that the ultra bottles that were introduced internationally in 2000, were first unveiled in Nigeria in June 2011. He added that they were about 20 per cent

GES scheme, guaranteed business for agro-dealers, says IFDC

he International Fertiliser Development Centre, IFDC, has described the Federal Government’s Growth Enhancement Support scheme, GES, as a guaranteed business for agro-dealers, which promises huge returns on investment. Mr. Chinedum Ukeka, the GESIFDC’s Project Team Leader, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Bauchi yesterday. Ukeka said that asides ensuring national food security by putting food on the table of every Nigerian, the scheme also provided agrodealers a promising investment platform. “For the agro-dealers, this is guaranteed business from government. “Because, if you are an agro-

dealer manning a centre where you have up to 3,000 farmers, by the time the farmers picks 6,000 bags, that is equivalent to 10 trailers. “If the agro-dealer is making N50,000 profit on each trailer, multiplied by 10, you are therefore talking of half a million naira guaranteed sales.’’ He advised agro-dealers to institute some sustainability measures, so that when the 2014 GES programme comes to an end, they would continue to provide inputs to farmers. “One of the things we are trying to encourage is that those who participated in the 2013 programme should retain their centre for continuity. “This is because, there are still farmers who will need more than

two bags and if they know that the dealers are there, they will always patronise them. ‘‘This will enable them invest in building bigger warehouse and employ people from the local communities.’’ Ukeka noted that the scheme had provided job opportunities for teeming Nigerian youths, either directly involved in agricultural activities or employed as a helpline staff. “In Bauchi for instance, we have 78 centres, so we have employed and trained 100 helpline staff to be stationed at each of the redemption centres. “We advertised and had over 200 people who applied; and based on certain criteria, we employed 100 that we will work with,” he said.

lighter and 40 per cent more durable, which made them safer and easier in terms of handling and their contents much more protected. Akinseesin said, “This is the first location in the eastern part of the country to have ultra. We launched ultra in Nigeria in June 2011 and it has been doing very great in the market.” “Although looking so small, ultra has the same content as you have in the old regular glass bottles. The difference is that it is about 20 per cent lighter and 40 per cent more durable in terms of handling. It comes in full depth plastic, which protects it and prevents breakage as was discovered in the old ones. If you notice our old plastics, the bottle is half to the size but this one is coming in full depth plastic, which means that you will not be having breakages in the neck or the body.’’

Ecobank launches Go Team Africa Campaign UDO ONYEKA

L-R: Non-Executive Director, Mr. Bayo Osibo; Managing Director/CEO, Sandtex Portland Paints and Products Nigeria Plc, Mr. Olufemi Oguntade; Chairman, Mr. Larry Ettah and Secretary, Mr. Adeleke Yusuf, during Sandtex Portland Paints and Products Nigeria Plc 2013 Annual General Meeting in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: SAMUEL ADETIMEHIN

cobank Group has launched a new multi media campaign Go Team Africa in support of African teams participating in the 2014 World Cup. The campaign encompasses television commercial, press and radio advertisement amongst others, expresses the Ecobank’s mode of sharing pan-African passion. According to a statement Ecobank is the official broadcast sponsor of Optima Sports’ coverage of 2014 FIFA World Cup in Nigeria and official broadcast sponsor of Octagon in the rest of Africa.

Head, Marketing & Communication, Ecobank Nigeria Adetola Oshomah said, “the launch of this campaign is in line with our pan African vision. We are again showing our commitment to the African continent and we are highly optimistic that the teams representing Africa will do the continent proud in Brazil”. According to Oshomah every arrangement is in place to ensure maximum support for the participating African teams in the tournament, stating that apart from the campaign, the bank is also sponsoring some customers in an all-expense paid trip to Brazil to lend their support to the teams during live matches.

Sterling Bank targets youths, unveils online credit scheme JOHNSON OKANLAWON

ocial media users can now access micro-credit loan through a modified peer to peer lending solution introduced by Sterling Bank, the bank’s Head, Social Media, Mr. Kelvin Steve-Igbodo has said. Speaking at the launch of the product in Lagos, he explained that the scheme provides a platform for online fans, followers who are customers of the bank to obtain micro-credit loan via social media channels starting with Facebook and Twitter. According to him, the application will integrate with existing financial structures of the bank

such that users of the online platform can access small loans by normal methods of withdrawing cash without collateral. Steve-Igbodo, who said that the bank partnered with BINCOM ICT to introduce the scheme, stressed thatthese funds are easy to access and are delivered via a convenient platform. Explaining how the customers and followers of the bank can benefit from the service, he said facebook or twitter fans can apply for micro-credit by visiting the website. He said, “Users who request for the loans on the social lender platform are rated by the algorithm that calculates their social reputation using various criteria.”