GREETINGS
Greetings on behalf of the Executive Council (NEC) of the IndustriALL Global Union Africa. I welcome all participants to the 6th Edition of the Policy Dialogue. This Special Policy Dialogue session with focus on the FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION (INDUSTRY 4.0): IMPLICATIONS FOR AFRICA is part of the activities marking 2017 Africa industrialization Day (AID). Monday November 20th is Africa Industrialisation Day (AID). Together with other stakeholders, members of African affiliates of Industriall will march for beneficiation and Industrialization of African economies just as we marched against precarious work on October 7th and rallied against discrimination and violence against women on the 8th of March being international women day.

AFRICA INDUSTRIALISATION DAY (AID)
Africa industrialization Day (AID) is a significant day declared by United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). It is an annual platform for Governments, businesses and organized labour linked to industrial development to examine ways and means to stimulate Africa industrialization process. The broad theme for 2017 Africa Industrialisation Day (AID) is “AFRICAN INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT: A PRE-CONDITION FOR EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE CONTINENTAL FREE TRADE AREA”.

THE OBJECTIVE
The objective of the Policy Dialogue is to critically examine the opportunities for Africa to diversify its economy, promote mass decent employment with respect for workers’ rights within the context of digital/smart manufacturing (Industry 4.0). Our dear Brother Brian Kohler, Director, Health, Safety and Sustainability, IndustriALL Global Union, Geneva, Switzerland is leading this discussion as he ably did in Geneva in October.

APPRECIATION
Profound appreciation to INDUSTRIALL Global Union for the material and organizational support for this year’s campaign for sustainable industrial policy in Africa. I salute our President Jorg Hoffman from IG metal in Germany and General Secretary, Valter Sanches from Brazil for their singular commitment to re- industrialization of our continent. Thanks to their leadership. Both Executive Committee meetings of 27-28 April 2017 in Geneva and 6-9 November in Colombo Sri Lanka respectively unanimously endorsed the African campaign. Special appreciation goes to the Assistant General Secretaries namely Kemal Ozkan, Alte Hoie and Brian Kohler who is our key resource fellow on Industry 4.0 today. Kindly also appreciate the founding General Secretary Jyrki Raina and Jenny Holdcroft who in 2015 actively marched with us in global solidarity for value addition in Africa. We also salute comrades from affiliates in Africa who have come to Nigeria for this events. We appreciate FES Nigeria which in the past five years has been in partnership with Nigerian affiliates to observe AID. In particular the Resident Representative, Mr. Ulrich Thum and Remi Ihejirika for their commitment to our campaign.

All national councils of INDUSTRIALL Africa and their organizers are hereby commended for rising up to the challenges of beneficiation just as they have risen to confront global capital and precarious work.

SIGNIFICANCE
Industriall appreciates the fact that industrialization and industrial policies are too important to be left to governments and businesses alone. IndustriALL works to achieve its purpose through five key goals: namely;

• Defend workers’ rights
• Build union power
• Confront global capital
• Fight precarious work
• Promote sustainable industrial policy.

INDUSTRY IN AFRICA
In Africa, promoting sustainable industrial policy assumes a special importance. Industry whether (1.0, 2.0, 3.0 or 4.0) is a key driver of jobs and development for national economies and the foundation of good living standards. Sadly UNIDO over the years shows that manufacturing industry in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) lags behind other developing regions in almost all measures of economic development, namely income per head, industrialization and agricultural productivity. The distribution of manufacturing activity in SSA, measured by the dollar value of manufacturing value added (MVA), is highly skewed.

Nigeria and South Africa have the highest GDP in Africa. But in qualitative terms, South Africa GDP is more robust. Only ten out of 45 countries have an MVA of one billion dollars or more, while just one country, South Africa, accounts for 27.3 percent of the subcontinent’s total MVA.

In 2015 Africa and LDCs countries had as many as 1.5 billion population. Millions of youths join the labour market annually. Only industry can provide sustainable jobs and living wages and necessary revenues for government to provide the needed infrastructure for development. African can only meet the Sustainable Development Goal 2030, especially SDG 9 dealing with industry and innovation with industrialization. Africa should stop being romantic and clapping for China through uncritical importation of goods and services. Rather Africa must copy China’s industrialization drive which has within 20 years moved over 250 million people out of poverty through manufacturing and industrialization. Africa must make what it consumes, otherwise it will be consumed by the rest of the world.

NIGERIA
Just yesterday, Thursday 16th of November, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) launched a book on the mid term assessment of the Federal Government of President Muhammadu Buhari Administration which came to power two years ago. Buhari administration operates on three point agenda of war against corruption, insecurity and economic recovery.

ANTI-CORRUPTION
I bear witness that Nigeria proudly has a President that is incorruptible. I also agree with President Muhammadu Buhari that the ongoing fight against corruption has restored Nigeria’s integrity in the world. President Buhari is not only exposing and catching public thieves but commendably prosecuting them. The political resolutions of INDUSTRIALL adopted last year at the second Congress in Rio de Jeneiro Brazil encourage us to fight against corruption. Therefore we commend the recent sacking of Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina a notorious pension predator and welcome the ordered probe into how he got dubiously reinstated into the civil service after he had long been declared wanted by the EFCC on corruption charges.

We commend the good jobs of the EFCC under Ibrahim Magu. Between January 1 and August 30, 2017 the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had reportedly recovered about N409 billion and $69.5 million (totalling N430 billion), among other foreign currencies, as proceeds of corruption. This recovered loot is more than the states budget of Niger: N108B Abia: 107B Enugu: 105B and Imo: 102 Billion and half of Lagos state’s budget of 813 Billion and same as Rivers state: N470 Billion. While South Africans decry state capture by Gupta families, the challenge Nigerians face is Republic capture by some corrupt leaders. Corruption has certainly almost killed most African countries, it’s time we joined forces to exorcise it. EFCC, undoubtedly is the most effective government agency in the country. However EFCC must be supported by all institutions including organized labour, because monies stolen would not be made available for paying minimum and living wages as well as pensions. Pension/wages thieves in both public and private sectors are still around the corners. The Federal government must quickly reconstitute the board of National Pension commission with a view of safeguarding the pension assets. Also the acting executive of Pencom must wake up to its responsibilities to engage stakeholders through more openness and accountability.

SECURITY
Consistent with Industriall resolutions, we condemn all forms of violence including right wing senseless Boko haram terrorism which has claimed thousands of lives mostly women and children in the past five years. We commend Nigerian military service men and women for standing up to terrorism. We thank Industriall for the consistent support for the return of the remaining Chobok girls. We observe one minute silence for the … released girls who have died.

ECONOMY
Most African governments have launched economic blue prints and signed on into a number of global economic agenda such as the Sustainable Development Goal 2030, especially SDG 9. But the point cannot be overemphasized that the critical key is industry. I commend Nigeria’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, ERGP which is enthusiastic about diversification and industrialization. However I agree with the chieftain of the ruling party Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who argued yesterday that “No populous nation has ever attained prosperity without first establishing a robust industrial capacity.

“In one form or another, England, America, Japan and China implemented policies to protect key industries, promote employment and encourage exports.

“If Nigeria is to be a leader in the next phase of global economic history, we must learn from these prior successes. The common thread between these nations was the objective of buffering strategic industries in ways that allow for the expansion and growth of the overall economy.”

Nigeria is almost back to colonial era in which we exported raw materials and imported all finished goods. Manufacturing scandalously contributes less that 3 per cent of GDP compared to the 70s in which manufacturing contribute as much as 30 per cent. No thanks to massive factory closures caused by energy cost and prohibitive production costs. With almost 200 million people, a quarter of Africa population, (every third African is a Nigerian and by look every African is a Nigerian!). The fate of Africa with respect to development depends on Nigeria’s economic performance or lack of it. This explains why our campaign for beneficiation takes root here. Industriall tasks us to struggle for strong industrial policies that advance social, economic and environmental sustainability.

WE HAIL THE NEW EXECUTIVE ORDERS
We commend the three unprecedented Executive Orders recently issued by your Excellency in line with the promise of President Buhari on the ease of doing business. Of special importance to textile industry is the order mandating Government agencies to spend more of their budgets on locally produced goods. This singular order would help in the recovery of the textile and garment industry.

Our current budget is N7.3 trillion. The question is, are we to link this relatively high budget to patronize made in Nigeria or refuel Chinese or Indian economies as we have been unacceptably doing?

I think we can use this 2017 budget to turn the economy around. I am happy that a factory in Umuahia is now producing Military booths for soldiers and that alone has provided over 3000 jobs for Nigerians

FIX THE REFINERIES
It is gratifying that ERGP endorses the 2014 National Industrial Revolution Plan, NIRP. We must add value to the crude oil instead of exporting it and to in turn import refined petroleum products. It is commendable that the ERGP sets to reduce petroleum products imports by 80 per cent in 2018. That’s the way to create jobs, decent and sustainable jobs in the petroleum sector.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

There can be no industrialization without electrification. It was just announced that the Power Sector Recovery Programme (PSRP) recently developed by the federal government and the World Bank to revive Nigeria’s ailing power sector, has come up with an action plan for the sweeping restructuring of the 11 electricity distribution companies (Discos) that would enable government to take over any Disco found to be insolvent. The Federal government should apologize to the NUEE for returning to the warning that Nigeria was not ripe for privatization. While we await the Details of the action plan, Federal government should listen to organized labour and cancel the privatizations all together.

Our textile industry can produce uniforms for police, customs and children rather than going to China. Also for Nigeria to recover, it must address the current crisis of compensation. We cannot drive recovery without productivity which in turn depends on well-motivated workforce.

You cannot have production without productive workforce that is well motivated and paid for. As regards N18,000 minimum wage, when we signed it seven years ago, the exchange rate was N115 to a dollar. Inflation rate was single digit and now it is about 18 percent. And today we can use any rate, the truth is that Minimum wage has collapsed.