Connect with us

Economy

Stakeholders Seek Lagos, Kano Synergy for Leather Industry

Published

on

Leather Industry

By Adedapo Adesanya

Stakeholders in the leather industry have advocated a strategic partnership between Lagos and Kano States to harness the potentials of the sector and improve its contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

This call was made by stakeholders at a virtual summit themed Towards a Sustainable Leather Processing Industry in Nigeria: Kano Tannery, the Powerhouse on Thursday, October 29.

The summit was organised by the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the Kano State Governor on Lagos Affairs, Mr Anthony Oneya, in partnership with the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and supported by Tannery Association, Kano.

Mr Oneya said the partnership between both states will forge a way forward to expand local trade by bringing together value addition ideas and investments.

“The partnership between Lagos and Kano is long overdue and this will help grow the sector to the level it ought to be,” he said.

Mr Oneya urged governments to support the improvement in the value of leather goods for both domestic use and exports through the provision of 21st-century technology.

He said an improved tanning industry for leather will improve exports and give the sector the needed boost, noting that 22 out of the 36 tanneries in Nigeria were located in the Centre of Commerce.

Mr Lawan Sule-Garo, Chairman, Tanners Council of Nigeria, in his remarks, appealed for intervention funds from the government to revive the sector and create jobs.

Mr Sule-Garo also appealed to governments to grant incentives to wholesalers to bridge the financial gap and give priority to the local tanning industry.

On the consumption of cowhides, popularly known as ponmo, which could be used for leather production, the Tanner Council Chairman said “We can continue to get leather from other animals apart from cows. We must not deter people from consuming ponmo because we want to sell leather.”

Mrs Toyin Umesiri, Chief Executive Officer, Nazaru LLC, called for the creation of a leather trade information desk to bridge the information gap in the industry.

“A classic example of the gap is that end users are not connecting with what is available in the leather market and so source for materials and finished products from other places.

“If others get it right before us, then people would buy from them instead of us. Therefore, we become irrelevant in that market,” she said.

She urged leather experts to understand the various rules of engagement in local, regional and global markets to benefit maximally from different trade opportunities such as provided in the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which is set to kickstart next year.

In his remarks, Mr Segun Awolowo, Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), represented by Mr Abimbola Salami, a Deputy Director, said the leather industry could generate up to $1 billion in revenue by 2025.

Mr Awolowo stated that the footwear industry consumed 54 per cent of leather products globally and contributed about 25 per cent of Agriculture’s GDP, noting that the Leather Industry is a major earner which can drive the much-needed diversification from oil.

Also speaking at the event, Mrs Toki Mabogunje, President, LCCI, advocated a holistic approach to developing the leather value chain for a long-term growth strategy.

Adedapo Adesanya is a journalist, polymath, and connoisseur of everything art. When he is not writing, he has his nose buried in one of the many books or articles he has bookmarked or simply listening to good music with a bottle of beer or wine. He supports the greatest club in the world, Manchester United F.C.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Economy

MRS Oil, FrieslandCampina Wamco Shrink NASD Index by 0.68%

Published

on

MRS Oil voluntary delisting

By Adedapo Adesanya

The duo of MRS Oil and FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc weakened the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 0.68 per cent on Friday, June 5.

MRS Plc lost N19.00 during the session to sell at N171.00 per share compared with Thursday’s value of N190.00 per share, and FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc depreciated by N8.70 to finish at N181.68 per unit compared with the preceding session’s N190.38 per unit.

As a result, the market capitalisation further lost N22.59 billion to close at N2.607 trillion versus the N2.630 trillion it ended a day earlier, and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) dropped 37.76 points to settle at 4,358.32 points, in contrast to the previous day’s 4,396.08 points.

The alternative stock market closed the last trading day of this week with a price gainer, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc, which gained 6 Kobo to quote at N78.40 per share compared with the preceding session’s N78.34 per share. However, it could not prevent the market from going down at the close of business.

Yesterday, the volume of securities bought and sold by investors went down by 50.0 per cent to 140,345 units from the preceding day’s 280,714 units, the value of stocks decreased by 16.5 per cent to N17.9 million from the previous session’s N21.5 million, and the number of deals carried out by market participants fell by 35.7 per cent to 27 deals from the 42 deals recorded on Thursday.

When trading activities closed for the day, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most active stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units exchanged for N8.4 billion, trailed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc with 2.3 billion units sold for N6.5 billion, and CSCS Plc with 64.7 million units traded for N4.4 billion.

GNI Plc also ended the session as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units transacted for N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units valued at N415.7 million.

Continue Reading

Economy

NGX Index Rebounds 0.15% on Renewed Interest in Financial Stocks

Published

on

Financial Stocks

By Dipo Olowookere

Renewed interest in financial stocks and others lifted the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited by 0.15 per cent on Friday.

Customs Street closed higher yesterday despite the 1.37 per cent loss recorded by the consumer goods sector as a result of profit-taking.

This was offset by gains in the other key sectors of the local bourse, as the insurance counter chalked up 1,14 per cent. The banking space appreciated by 0.90 per cent, the industrial goods segment grew by 0.46 per cent, and the energy sector expanded by 0.01 per cent.

Consequently, the All-Share Index (ASI) went up by 366.00 points to 242,593.31 points from 242,227.31 points, and the market capitalisation gained N235 billion to close at N155.594 trillion compared with the previous day’s N155.359 trillion.

The trio of International Energy Insurance, Abbey Mortgage Bank, and DAAR Communications improved by 10.00 per cent each yesterday to N7.26, N9.35, and N1.98, respectively, while Zichis advanced by 9.39 per cent to N32.38, with Sovereign Trust Insurance up by 8.70 per cent to N2.50.

On the flip side, Academy Press lost 9.84 per cent to quote at N8.25, University Press depreciated by 9.73 per cent to N5.10, Africa Prudential dipped by 2.63 per cent to N12.95, Chams crumbled by 2.44 per cent to N4.00, and International Breweries slipped by 1.59 per cent to N12.35.

Business Post reports that the market breadth index was positive during the session after recording 37 appreciating equities and 14 depreciating equities, implying strong investor sentiment.

Abbey Mortgage Bank led the activity chart with a turnover of 164.1 million units worth N1.5 billion, Ellah Lakes sold 76.7 million units for N767.2 million, Access Holdings transacted 44.8 million units valued at N1.1 billion, Linkage Assurance exchanged 23.0 million units worth N41.2 million, and The Initiates traded 20.2 million units for N562.1 million.

At the close of trades, market participants transacted 608.5 million units worth N32.0 billion in 53,826 deals versus the 588.5 million units valued at N27.9 billion executed in 57,352 deals in the previous session. This showed that the number of deals eased by 6.15 per cent, the volume of transactions rose by 3.40 per cent, and the value of transactions soared by 14.70 per cent.

Continue Reading

Economy

Naira Depreciates to N1,362/$1 at Official Market

Published

on

Naira 4 Dollar

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Naira further depreciated against the United States Dollar by N3.46 or 0.25 per cent to N1,362.21/$1 from N1,358.75/$1 in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Friday, June 5.

However, it appreciated against the Pound Sterling in the same market window during the session by N4.47 to trade at N1,823.59/£1 compared with the previous day’s N1,828.06/£1, and gained N7.00 against the Euro to sell at N1,574.58/€1, in contrast to Thursday’s closing price of N1,581.58/€1.

For another trading session, the Nigerian Naira maintained stability against the Dollar in the parallel market and the GTBank forex counter on Friday at N1,375/$1 and N1,372/$1, respectively.

The Naira is expected to remain strong in the near term, backed by a rise in external reserves, which are nearing $50 billion, enhancing analysts’ confidence about its outlook in the second half of 2026.

Heightened global uncertainty has reduced the incentive for importers and corporates to demand FX, as cautious trade weighs on import needs. Analysts estimate a $40 billion net FX position for the year, a projection anchored in oil windfall gains.

As for the cryptocurrency market, prices remained depressed following a strong US jobs report that spurred markets to price in higher-for-longer interest rates, sending Treasury yields and the dollar up while hammering stocks, especially AI-related names. Crypto markets saw heavy leverage washouts with about $1.6 billion in positions liquidated over 24 hours.

Ethereum (ETH) gave up 4.9 per cent to trade at $1,584.68, Solana (SOL) fell by 3.3 per cent to $63.22, Bitcoin (BTC) crashed by 1.9 per cent to $61,333.23, Dogecoin (DOGE) slipped by 1.8 per cent to $0.0821, and Ripple (XRP) moderated by 1.8 per cent to $1.09.

Further, TRON (TRX) dropped 1.6 per cent to sell at $0.3197, Binance Coin (BNB) slumped by 1.0 per cent to $581.18, and  Cardano (ADA) declined by 0.4 per cent to $0.1589, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) gained 0.07 to sell at $0.9997, and US Dollar Coin (USDC) closed flat at $0.9998.

Continue Reading

Trending