Nigerian Senator Ngige lists poverty, trade imbalance as bane of AGOA
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, made the assertion while leading the Nigerian delegation to the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act Ministerial Roundtable taking place at the Department of Labour Building Washington D.C, United States.
Nigeria has urged the United States of America to demonstrate stronger commitment to improved economic ties with African nations through balanced trade relations.
Nigeria argued that the sudden stoppage of import of the Nigerian crude oil by the United States was antithetical to the flourish of trade and economic cooperation upon which the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act was founded.
It said: “The action contributed to low foreign exchange receipts and consequent technical recession in some of the African countries.”
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, made the assertion while leading the Nigerian delegation to the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act Ministerial Roundtable taking place at the Department of Labour Building Washington D.C, United States.
Contributing to the theme: “Trade and Worker Rights: Inclusive Economic Growth in Africa Through Trade on the Day One of the Roundtable,” Senator Ngige said the capacity of Nigeria to tackle anti-labour practices such as child labour, cheap labour and human trafficking was being hampered by dwindling resources, which the stoppage of the import of the Nigerian crude by the US has accentuated.
He added that poverty at the low income levels makes the fight against anti-labour practices at the base difficult.
He urged the US to assist African countries in the entire agricultural value food chain of production, processing and preservation as well as give increased educational assistance to farmers.
Ngige said: “The founding ideal of AGOA is to foster a symbiotic economic cooperation between Africa and the United States.
“However, the capacity of the African nations such as Nigeria to effectively tap into the full potentials of the body is being checkmated by limited resources.
“Therefore, there is a need for America to rethink initiatives that once made AGOA attractive to African countries.
“Rescinding her decision on Nigerian crude is one of such steps that could be taken to buoy up our economy and regain enough capacity to protect workers rights and promote decent work in an inclusive economic growth.
“The US must do more to assist junior partners by extending some labour projects and technical aide being executed in some African countries such Madagascar, Zambia and Kenya to Nigeria.”
Speaking further on Nigeria’s initiatives for improving internationally recognized workers right, the Minister said Nigeria has ratified and domesticated eight core conventions of the International labour organization, including convention 182 on the worst forums of child Labour dealing with child rights and fair labour practices.
Furthermore, Ngige drew the attention of the international community to the strong backing for fundamental freedoms and labour rights enshrined in the Nigerian constitution, especially in section 40.
Ngige added that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has championed and deepened more than any administration, the cause of social dialogue and unabridged rights of workers to unionize, citing the intervention in the banking sector as one.
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