TPT Brand News: Promasidor Plans Fresh Mega Investment in Nigeria: Promasidor Nigeria Limited , makers of Cowbell milk is planning to inject more investments in Nigeria that will be four to five times the s...
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Survey identifies corruption, epileptic power supply, crime as Nigeria’s biggest challenges

Latest survey by Research and Marketing Services (RMS) International has identified corruption, epileptic power supply, escalating crime rate and poor education as Nigeria’s biggest challenges। Other details of the research conducted between June and July, this year, shows a thump down for government in terms of infrastructural development. The Nigerian government was rated low by respondents on dam construction, employment creation; poverty eradication, management of resources, economic development and fight against corruption.
The research firm had surveyed 5,000 adult Nigerians in 37 states and FCT through a quantitative research technique via face-to-face personal interviews using a fully structured questionnaire in respondents’ homes। Asked about key development areas the president should focus on during his short tenure, 69 percent of the respondents said he should put adequate arsenal in place to fight corruption, 55 percent wants him to focus on amenities such as electricity and water, while 52 percent said his government should revamp the education sector.
The respondents were asked about the responsiveness of the government to their needs, 19 percent said the government was responsive to their needs, 35 percent said it was somewhat responsive, while 46 percent said it was not responsive to their needs।
According to the research, the respondents were asked to give their feelings about the president’s performance since he took office। It revealed that 52 percent of Nigerians said his performance to date was satisfactory, 20 percent said his performance was static, while 3 percent said his performance was going down.
On the support for President Goodluck Jonathan’s candidacy for next year’s elections, 81 percent of Nigerians said the president should contest the 2011 polls, 4 percent were opposed to his candidacy, while 15 percent of respondents were undecided। The research noted that the president’s approval to contest cuts across region, age, gender and socio-economic class. The respondents in support of his candidature (81 percent) were asked to give supporting reasons for their stance. 47 percent said the president had performed above expectations since he came into office, 29 percent said he had the ability to transform Nigeria into a prosperous nation, while 25 percent said he was transparent and incorruptible.
The 4 percent against his candidature were also asked to back up their stance। 22 percent said the president was not from their party, 15 percent said he should give others opportunity, while 10 percent said he was not from the North. These respondents were mainly from the Northern states of Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto and Bauchi, the research document revealed.
Asked about what they looked for in a presidential candidate before deciding to vote for him, 63 percent said they considered the candidate’s caliber, 33 percent mentioned the candidate’s political affiliation (party), 31 percent first considered the candidate/party’s political ideology, while 27 percent said they considered the party’s manifesto।
Respondents were asked to profile their expectations from the new government coming to power in 2011। 77 percent of respondents said the government should focus on creating employment, 68 percent said they should focus on stabilising the power sector, 57 percent wants to see definitive effort in eradicating poverty, while 51 percent wants to see the government providing free qualitative education in the country. The respondents were asked to air their feelings about the appointment of Namadi Sambo as the vice president. 43 percent of respondents said he was the right candidate for the job, 5 percent said he was not the right candidate, while 51 percent of respondents refused to give their feelings on the issue.
In the 43 percent that endorsed the vice president as the right candidate, 31 percent said he had done a sterling job while governor of Kaduna State, while 27 percent said he was honest and transparent। Those opposed to his appointment were asked to give supporting reasons for their stance. Thirty-one percent said he was a political novice, while 26 percent said there was no meaningful development in Kaduna while he was the governor.
On participation in the next year’s election, 81 percent of respondents said they were going to register to participate in the forthcoming general elections in 2011, 10 percent said they were not going to register, while 9 percent is undecided. Asked if they would vote in 2011, 55 percent of respondents said they would definitely vote, 28 percent said they would probably vote, while 8 percent said they would definitely not vote, these respondents were mainly from urban areas in Lagos, Abuja and Kano.
Research conference highlights mobile, Africa's marvel

Research conference highlights mobile, Africa's marvel By: Oresti PatriciosSocial media, the opportunities in mobile networks and mobile internet were the dominant themes at the 2010 PAMRO Conference held in Botswana recently. As the economic recession continues, with talk of a double-dip for the US, emerging economies are finding renewed favour from both investors and brands looking for growth, and Africa is no exception.The potential of Africa was an over-riding sentiment that studded all the presentations at the 2010 Pan African Media Research Organisation (PAMRO) and All Africa Media Research Conference held in Botswana that drew delegates from across the continent.
Speakers at the conference came from Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa and included thought leaders from AGBNielsen, Yahoo Africa, InterMedia UK, TNS Media Research, Nepad, Synovate as well as telecommunications companies and leading regional research houses.
African mobile technology
Standard Bank's Janet Proudfoot, the senior manager of the group's media strategy, focused on pioneering mobile payment solutions that are showcasing African mobile technology solutions to the world. Mobile payment systems like M-PESA have had huge uptake, particularly in regions like Kenya where access to credit is limited.
Proudfoot noted that Africa is becoming a less risky region for investment after the global economic crisis, adding that the rate of return on foreign direct investment is higher in Africa than many other developing regions. One of the fastest growing regions in the world since 2008, Proudfoot says Africa is achieving an average growth of 5.6% per annum. Globally, she says growth is set at some 4%. Five countries account for 60% of Africa's GDP, according to Proudfoot and these are Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa.
Online habits of Nigerians
Josiah Kimanzi of Research & Marketing Services (RMS) Nigeria looked at the online habits of Nigerians. A strong player on the African market, RMS has offices in Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire as well as Congo and recently partnered with TNS Global, part of the Kantar Group.
Kimanzi highlighted the fragmentation of the media in Africa, saying that social networks and the rise of mobile had delivered more touch points than ever before, with the effect of decreasing client control as people gravitated to consumer-generated media.
The big issue for research and understanding consumer behaviour online was the need for tracking the complex and varied environment with multiple devices and touch points. Kimanzi says that the challenge going forward was to measure the brand experience in a more holistic and unified manner.
Nigeria, largest internet population
Focusing on Nigeria, Kimanzi says 43.9 million Nigerians have access to the internet, which is staggering given that the figure falls just four million short of the entire South African population. This makes Nigeria the country with the largest internet population in Africa, dwarfing the likes of South Africa, Egypt, Morocco and Kenya combined.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and agency of the United Nation states that 40% of all internet traffic from Africa originates from Nigeria, and that some 30% of the total population of that country enjoy access to the internet. Research has shown a direct link between telecommunications infrastructure and economic growth, and Nigeria's high access rate delivers big opportunities for brands, marketers, advertisers, media agencies and research companies.
Mobiles vs PCs
James Edwards, commercial director for Yahoo Africa says that there are 100 million internet users in Africa, and that the continent had 11% percent penetration which had grown by 2400% in the last ten years. Edwards says the internet in Africa had grown six times faster than anywhere else in the world, despite the fact that there is only 25% electricity penetration in the continent. He added that about 400 million Africans use mobile phones which he says represents some 45% of the continent's population.
Growth in Africa
Edwards maintained that there was huge growth in the telecommunications and internet markets in Africa, and a demographic analysis showed some interesting results. Connectivity in Africa is predominantly masculine, and according to Yahoo Africa 70% of males are connected to the internet. 55% of these users are between the ages of 25 and 40 years, 24% have a credit card, and 90% connect to the internet at least once a week. According to Edwards this offered significant opportunity for advertisers, but also for online research studies so that brands could better understand consumer behaviour, have better insights and use the mobile internet more effectively in their marketing
Jonathan gets nod of 81 % Nigerian voters – RMS survey
About 81 per cent of eligible voters in Nigeria have given nod to President Goodluck Jonathan’s quest to contest in next year’s presidential elections . The voters cited his respect for the rule of law, confidence and trust in the composition of his cabinet to deliver set targets, and an overall faith in his ability to turn the fortunes of the economy around for the better, as some of the core reasons for lending their support to him
According to an RMS opinion poll released on Wednesday, 19 per cent of respondents drawn from a poll of eligible, however, faulted the decision of the incumbent president to contest in the 2011 presidential race, insisting that he should respect the existing zoning arrangement of his political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and should give other candidates a chance. The bulk of those who disagreed with the president were non-members of the PDP, the survey by Research and Marketing Services (RMS) noted.
Chief Executive Officer of RMS, Mr. Ademola Tejumola while commenting on the findings of the survey explained that unlike previous elections, where the electorate was not eager to cast their votes, 83 per cent of Nigerians said they would exercise their constitutional rights by voting during the upcoming elections.
“The survey revealed that 81 per cent of Nigerian’s eligible voters are of the opinion that President Jonathan should contest in the forth-coming elections next year; majority of Nigerians (90 per cent) have confidence in Jonathan’s ministerial cabinet with only 10 per cent of respondents saying they are not convinced the present cabinet will deliver on democratic dividends and good governance,” the RMS survey stated.
“Seventy per cent believe there is respect for the rule of law, while 30 per cent differ; 54 per cent believe the Federal Government is responsive to their needs, while 46 per cent perceive the government to be unresponsive; overall 60 per cent said Jonathan’s performance has been satisfactory, 26 per cent said he did not raise the bar compared to prior government, while the rest of respondents are of the opinion that his performance is unsatisfactory,” the survey further revealed.
According to an RMS opinion poll released on Wednesday, 19 per cent of respondents drawn from a poll of eligible, however, faulted the decision of the incumbent president to contest in the 2011 presidential race, insisting that he should respect the existing zoning arrangement of his political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and should give other candidates a chance. The bulk of those who disagreed with the president were non-members of the PDP, the survey by Research and Marketing Services (RMS) noted.
Chief Executive Officer of RMS, Mr. Ademola Tejumola while commenting on the findings of the survey explained that unlike previous elections, where the electorate was not eager to cast their votes, 83 per cent of Nigerians said they would exercise their constitutional rights by voting during the upcoming elections.
“The survey revealed that 81 per cent of Nigerian’s eligible voters are of the opinion that President Jonathan should contest in the forth-coming elections next year; majority of Nigerians (90 per cent) have confidence in Jonathan’s ministerial cabinet with only 10 per cent of respondents saying they are not convinced the present cabinet will deliver on democratic dividends and good governance,” the RMS survey stated.
“Seventy per cent believe there is respect for the rule of law, while 30 per cent differ; 54 per cent believe the Federal Government is responsive to their needs, while 46 per cent perceive the government to be unresponsive; overall 60 per cent said Jonathan’s performance has been satisfactory, 26 per cent said he did not raise the bar compared to prior government, while the rest of respondents are of the opinion that his performance is unsatisfactory,” the survey further revealed.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
How culture influences marketing in Kenya
It is said, you will never know where you're going until you know where you've come from. This is a common saying reiterating the importance of origin and culture in an individual's life. Culture is defined as a shared, learned, symbolic system of values, beliefs and attitudes that shape and influence perception and behaviour. It's most visible in a society in the form of art, music, language, dressing among other overt practices.
In order to mount a successful marketing campaign, the first thing you must do is have a thorough understanding of your target market and all the dynamics around it. This goes without saying, but it's amazing how many products are launched into the Kenyan market without proper market research. What I'm talking about goes beyond superficial figures and general buying trends. I'm talking about data that takes into account qualitative factors like cultural practices that may negatively impact your brand. A consumer's culture influences their behaviour. Therefore it is in your best interest as a marketer to understand why your consumers act in the way that they do.
Creating perceptions
When you think of Africa, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Your answer to this is largely dependent on whom you interacted with first: international news media or tourism marketers.
If it was the latter, then pictureresque images of sun and sand, rich culture, wildlife and nature at its purest form, come to mind. Tourism agents brand country destinations based on their culture all the time. This worldwide phenomenon is more aggressively practised in African countries. It's not surprising since the cultural experience is a key selling point. And our local Kenya Tourist Board has not been left behind either. A brief look at CNN adverts is a testament to this.
Unfortunately, if your first encounter with Africa was on international news, chances are grim pictures of starving children, strife and ravaged villages first crop into your to mind. To help counter this negative perception, several African countries have set up national brand boards. According to its website, the Brand Kenya Board is tasked with the responsibility of identifying and refining key attributes about Kenya that contribute positively to the image and reputation of the nation.
No blanket solution
Now that we have seen that culture does play a pivotal role in the success of a marketing campaign. How does a marketer use a consumer's culture to her advantage instead of viewing it as an obstacle? One pitfall that one must always avoid is giving a blanket solution. Multinationals often fall into this trap by having the same product offering across different countries.
Case in point: the introduction of Malta Guinness in Kenya. After its run-away success in Nigeria, Diageo was quick to launch Malta Guinness, a non-alcoholic malt drink, into the Kenyan market but with appalling results. On the bright side, this paved way for a non-alcoholic drinks market dominated by EABL's Alvaro and Coca-Cola's Novida.
Narrowing down on cultural information that is relevant to a brand can be a daunting task. The trick is to localise the data and make it very specific. This is even more important on a continent like Africa with a multiplicity of cultures. In Kenya alone, we have more than 40 ethnic communities all with different norms, languages and practices.
Blend into culture
Culture is a factor that one must consider when crafting a marketing communication strategy. This reminds me of the stiff resistance Trust condoms faced when they first advertised their products in Kenya. Being an 80% "Christian" nation, the thought of openly promoting a product that allegedly encouraged promiscuity was unheard of. Nevertheless, Trust won the battle by focusing on the endemic number of people who were contracting HIV/AIDS.
It is said that brilliant advertising is so in sync with the target market that the brand slogan immediately becomes part of popular culture. Among brands that have accomplished this feat, the following immediately come to mind: Dura Coat paints with Marangi, Zain with Vuka, Equity Bank with Mimi ni Member and more recently, Pesa Pap by Family Bank.
Another effect of culture is the ever increasing number of vernacular radio stations in the country. With its proliferation, vernacular radio is a cost-effective way to reach the large number of consumers in rural areas.
As much as developing economies such as Kenya are quickly adopting technology, consumers are not in a hurry to abandon their customs. How else can one explain Mpesa (Safaricom's mobile money transfer service) being used to pay bride price? Or the immense popularity of vernacular mobile phone ring tones and ring back tones? The lesson here is to blend your product attributes with the consumers' cultural needs.
360 degree perspective
From market research and product development to channel distribution, a marketer must always keep cultural influences in mind. Maybe that might be the reason why sanitary towels are packed like some form of illicit drug upon purchase in Kenyan supermarkets.
As with all other environmental factors, culture does change with time and one must keep up with the trends to remain competitive. One way of doing this is to enrich your market research by adding an anthropology approach to it. On the flip side, if you face cultural opposition against your brand, even after carrying out adequate research, first understand the root of the resistance. In this way, you will approach the situation with a 360 degree perspective and resolve the issue much faster.
In order to mount a successful marketing campaign, the first thing you must do is have a thorough understanding of your target market and all the dynamics around it. This goes without saying, but it's amazing how many products are launched into the Kenyan market without proper market research. What I'm talking about goes beyond superficial figures and general buying trends. I'm talking about data that takes into account qualitative factors like cultural practices that may negatively impact your brand. A consumer's culture influences their behaviour. Therefore it is in your best interest as a marketer to understand why your consumers act in the way that they do.
Creating perceptions
When you think of Africa, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Your answer to this is largely dependent on whom you interacted with first: international news media or tourism marketers.
If it was the latter, then pictureresque images of sun and sand, rich culture, wildlife and nature at its purest form, come to mind. Tourism agents brand country destinations based on their culture all the time. This worldwide phenomenon is more aggressively practised in African countries. It's not surprising since the cultural experience is a key selling point. And our local Kenya Tourist Board has not been left behind either. A brief look at CNN adverts is a testament to this.
Unfortunately, if your first encounter with Africa was on international news, chances are grim pictures of starving children, strife and ravaged villages first crop into your to mind. To help counter this negative perception, several African countries have set up national brand boards. According to its website, the Brand Kenya Board is tasked with the responsibility of identifying and refining key attributes about Kenya that contribute positively to the image and reputation of the nation.
No blanket solution
Now that we have seen that culture does play a pivotal role in the success of a marketing campaign. How does a marketer use a consumer's culture to her advantage instead of viewing it as an obstacle? One pitfall that one must always avoid is giving a blanket solution. Multinationals often fall into this trap by having the same product offering across different countries.
Case in point: the introduction of Malta Guinness in Kenya. After its run-away success in Nigeria, Diageo was quick to launch Malta Guinness, a non-alcoholic malt drink, into the Kenyan market but with appalling results. On the bright side, this paved way for a non-alcoholic drinks market dominated by EABL's Alvaro and Coca-Cola's Novida.
Narrowing down on cultural information that is relevant to a brand can be a daunting task. The trick is to localise the data and make it very specific. This is even more important on a continent like Africa with a multiplicity of cultures. In Kenya alone, we have more than 40 ethnic communities all with different norms, languages and practices.
Blend into culture
Culture is a factor that one must consider when crafting a marketing communication strategy. This reminds me of the stiff resistance Trust condoms faced when they first advertised their products in Kenya. Being an 80% "Christian" nation, the thought of openly promoting a product that allegedly encouraged promiscuity was unheard of. Nevertheless, Trust won the battle by focusing on the endemic number of people who were contracting HIV/AIDS.
It is said that brilliant advertising is so in sync with the target market that the brand slogan immediately becomes part of popular culture. Among brands that have accomplished this feat, the following immediately come to mind: Dura Coat paints with Marangi, Zain with Vuka, Equity Bank with Mimi ni Member and more recently, Pesa Pap by Family Bank.
Another effect of culture is the ever increasing number of vernacular radio stations in the country. With its proliferation, vernacular radio is a cost-effective way to reach the large number of consumers in rural areas.
As much as developing economies such as Kenya are quickly adopting technology, consumers are not in a hurry to abandon their customs. How else can one explain Mpesa (Safaricom's mobile money transfer service) being used to pay bride price? Or the immense popularity of vernacular mobile phone ring tones and ring back tones? The lesson here is to blend your product attributes with the consumers' cultural needs.
360 degree perspective
From market research and product development to channel distribution, a marketer must always keep cultural influences in mind. Maybe that might be the reason why sanitary towels are packed like some form of illicit drug upon purchase in Kenyan supermarkets.
As with all other environmental factors, culture does change with time and one must keep up with the trends to remain competitive. One way of doing this is to enrich your market research by adding an anthropology approach to it. On the flip side, if you face cultural opposition against your brand, even after carrying out adequate research, first understand the root of the resistance. In this way, you will approach the situation with a 360 degree perspective and resolve the issue much faster.
Nigeria has the highest number of children out of school’
In ranking Nigeria amongst the worst place for a child to be in 2010, a report by the
Global Campaign for Education (GCE) has stated that Nigeria has more
children out of education than any other country in the world.
The report claims that an astounding 8.2 million children are not provided with adequate
education in Africa’s most populous country. Comparing the nation’s
wealth with the apparent low standard of education, the report claims
that “the report is made all the more appalling by the fact that
Nigeria is far from poor, by African standards. On paper at least it is
among the continent’s richest countries, the world’s sixth largest
producer of crude oil. But decades of failure to invest in education
have left the basic school system hardly functioning, especially in the
country’s impoverished north.”
For Primary education, the report claims many students drop out of the school in
their first year of education due to ‘unequal provision of education’
and this it argued, is caused by the lack of political will to address
and arrest the issue. “A lack of political will is a major factor in
the country having the highest number of children out of school in the
world. Gross inequality in the provision of education has led to 8.2
million children out of primary school with many more dropping out
within the first year.”
Poor attendance, imbalanced education
The report particularly criticised the northern region of the country for an
abysmal amount of children denied good education. “Over half of these
children are in the north of the country, with girls suffering the most
with many receiving just six months of education in their lives. In the
largely Muslim north of Nigeria……….attendance rates are below 50%
at primary school and of those only one in every three pupils is female
(nationwide, the proportion is five boys to four girls)” it noted.
The GCE report is coming just as the National Education Council of Nigeria (NECO) on
Monday released the 2010 results and over 79% of the students that sat
for the examination failed in English language; the nation’s official
language. While over 80% of the students failed the entire exam last year.
Nigeria was however not listed in the list of the bottom 10 countries that are worst for a
child. The countries which are predominantly African nations include
Somalia, Eritrea, Comoros, Ethiopia, Chad, Burkina Faso, Central
African Republic, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Liberia and Haiti. Tanzania and
Mozambique were however commended for halving the number of children
out of school, while Rwanda is said to have made strong efforts to
ensure that there are enough professionally trained teachers.
The report noted that delivering education for all is highly achievable and brings other
poverty dividends such as reducing HIV deaths by seven million and
doubling child survival by 50% if mothers are educated.
The President of the Global Campaign for Education Kailash Satyarthi in a statement to
political leaders warned “if scientists can genetically modify food and
NASA can send missions to Mars, politicians must be able to find the
resources to get millions of children into school and change the
prospects of a generation of children.”
GCE called on leaders meeting at the United Nations in New York this week, to make
funding for education a priority in order to meet the target of
universal access to basic schooling by 2015.
It argues that “poor countries should spend 20% of their national budget on education,
abolishing school fees and be supported to hire an additional 1.9
million teachers so that every child can have access to education.” It
called on rich countries to “direct their aid budgets at the poorest
countries or where inequalities of education are most extreme, rather
using their aid budgets to underwrite the University systems.
Global Campaign for Education (GCE) has stated that Nigeria has more
children out of education than any other country in the world.
The report claims that an astounding 8.2 million children are not provided with adequate
education in Africa’s most populous country. Comparing the nation’s
wealth with the apparent low standard of education, the report claims
that “the report is made all the more appalling by the fact that
Nigeria is far from poor, by African standards. On paper at least it is
among the continent’s richest countries, the world’s sixth largest
producer of crude oil. But decades of failure to invest in education
have left the basic school system hardly functioning, especially in the
country’s impoverished north.”
For Primary education, the report claims many students drop out of the school in
their first year of education due to ‘unequal provision of education’
and this it argued, is caused by the lack of political will to address
and arrest the issue. “A lack of political will is a major factor in
the country having the highest number of children out of school in the
world. Gross inequality in the provision of education has led to 8.2
million children out of primary school with many more dropping out
within the first year.”
Poor attendance, imbalanced education
The report particularly criticised the northern region of the country for an
abysmal amount of children denied good education. “Over half of these
children are in the north of the country, with girls suffering the most
with many receiving just six months of education in their lives. In the
largely Muslim north of Nigeria……….attendance rates are below 50%
at primary school and of those only one in every three pupils is female
(nationwide, the proportion is five boys to four girls)” it noted.
The GCE report is coming just as the National Education Council of Nigeria (NECO) on
Monday released the 2010 results and over 79% of the students that sat
for the examination failed in English language; the nation’s official
language. While over 80% of the students failed the entire exam last year.
Nigeria was however not listed in the list of the bottom 10 countries that are worst for a
child. The countries which are predominantly African nations include
Somalia, Eritrea, Comoros, Ethiopia, Chad, Burkina Faso, Central
African Republic, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Liberia and Haiti. Tanzania and
Mozambique were however commended for halving the number of children
out of school, while Rwanda is said to have made strong efforts to
ensure that there are enough professionally trained teachers.
The report noted that delivering education for all is highly achievable and brings other
poverty dividends such as reducing HIV deaths by seven million and
doubling child survival by 50% if mothers are educated.
The President of the Global Campaign for Education Kailash Satyarthi in a statement to
political leaders warned “if scientists can genetically modify food and
NASA can send missions to Mars, politicians must be able to find the
resources to get millions of children into school and change the
prospects of a generation of children.”
GCE called on leaders meeting at the United Nations in New York this week, to make
funding for education a priority in order to meet the target of
universal access to basic schooling by 2015.
It argues that “poor countries should spend 20% of their national budget on education,
abolishing school fees and be supported to hire an additional 1.9
million teachers so that every child can have access to education.” It
called on rich countries to “direct their aid budgets at the poorest
countries or where inequalities of education are most extreme, rather
using their aid budgets to underwrite the University systems.
CBN tasks FG over project management
As Nigeria intensifies efforts towards becoming one of the 20 most advanced economies by the year 2020, the Central Bank of Nigeria has stressed the need for the Federal Government and the private sector to adopt best practice in project management
The Deputy Director/ Group Head, Enterprise Programme Management, Mr. Oluwatoyin Jokosenumi, stated this during the ProMaCom 2010 conference in Abuja, on Tuesday.
Jokosenumi noted that non-adherence to the principles and best practice in project management was the bane of infrastructural development across the country.
He blamed the high incidence of project failure in Nigeria on corruption, poor planning, implementation and monitoring of projects.
According to him, ”Most of the infrastructural projects in Nigeria suffer set back due to corruption, poor planning, implementation and monitoring.
In fact, we have it on record that more than half of our projects failed due to these factors.
”More than half of the projects in the country have failed for lack of cost management framework. The ideal thing to do in project management is first of all, to estimate appropriately what needs to be done on a project. The next thing is providing the relevant budget, that is the money to do it, while the third is ensuring that proper control mechanisms are put in place to ensure that the work is actually done. Also, we must allow the professionals that understand what all the project is about to advise us.
”Another critical factor that needs to be addressed is the risks that are associated with projects. Most often, the risks are not identified. Our risks must be planned, identified, properly analysed qualitatively and quantitatively and properly monitored.
”In Nigeria, we don‘t do these things. We just go into the project because we are in a hurry, because the money must be spent to satisfy the political equation. In most cases, we are not interested in the value that come to our people. We must address these issues for us to be able to achieve Vision 20:2020”
Also speaking during the event, the Programme Director, National Project Management Conference, Mr. Taopheek Babayeju, said, ”The theme of ProMacom 2010 Conference, Project Management: The Key to National Development”, is predicated on the need to employ project management approach in project and programme delivery, most especially in government policies and projects”
”The annual National Project Management Conference is a non-profit, private sector initiative aimed at institutionalising project management best practices in Nigeria. It is a knowledge building and capacity enhancing event that exposes participants to the global trends and best practices in the management of projects and programmes.
He added, ”The conference is a professional development event that provides a unique forum for professionals across all industries to exchange ideas on today‘s project challenges and emerging trends. It features expert presentations and training workshops delivered by experienced project management professionals and gives attendees a variety of topics that suit their interest and career needs.
”Project management is no where within our constitution but what we are trying to do as project management professionals is to build an advocacy group that will sensitise the government. We are looking at how to use project management to better the lots of Nigerians, before too long, the institute is going to come up with a private bill to ensure that the project management is institutionalised and employed for all tiers of government”
The Deputy Director/ Group Head, Enterprise Programme Management, Mr. Oluwatoyin Jokosenumi, stated this during the ProMaCom 2010 conference in Abuja, on Tuesday.
Jokosenumi noted that non-adherence to the principles and best practice in project management was the bane of infrastructural development across the country.
He blamed the high incidence of project failure in Nigeria on corruption, poor planning, implementation and monitoring of projects.
According to him, ”Most of the infrastructural projects in Nigeria suffer set back due to corruption, poor planning, implementation and monitoring.
In fact, we have it on record that more than half of our projects failed due to these factors.
”More than half of the projects in the country have failed for lack of cost management framework. The ideal thing to do in project management is first of all, to estimate appropriately what needs to be done on a project. The next thing is providing the relevant budget, that is the money to do it, while the third is ensuring that proper control mechanisms are put in place to ensure that the work is actually done. Also, we must allow the professionals that understand what all the project is about to advise us.
”Another critical factor that needs to be addressed is the risks that are associated with projects. Most often, the risks are not identified. Our risks must be planned, identified, properly analysed qualitatively and quantitatively and properly monitored.
”In Nigeria, we don‘t do these things. We just go into the project because we are in a hurry, because the money must be spent to satisfy the political equation. In most cases, we are not interested in the value that come to our people. We must address these issues for us to be able to achieve Vision 20:2020”
Also speaking during the event, the Programme Director, National Project Management Conference, Mr. Taopheek Babayeju, said, ”The theme of ProMacom 2010 Conference, Project Management: The Key to National Development”, is predicated on the need to employ project management approach in project and programme delivery, most especially in government policies and projects”
”The annual National Project Management Conference is a non-profit, private sector initiative aimed at institutionalising project management best practices in Nigeria. It is a knowledge building and capacity enhancing event that exposes participants to the global trends and best practices in the management of projects and programmes.
He added, ”The conference is a professional development event that provides a unique forum for professionals across all industries to exchange ideas on today‘s project challenges and emerging trends. It features expert presentations and training workshops delivered by experienced project management professionals and gives attendees a variety of topics that suit their interest and career needs.
”Project management is no where within our constitution but what we are trying to do as project management professionals is to build an advocacy group that will sensitise the government. We are looking at how to use project management to better the lots of Nigerians, before too long, the institute is going to come up with a private bill to ensure that the project management is institutionalised and employed for all tiers of government”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)