Toju Ogbe, Author at The Nigerian Diplomat

Nigerian-British Chamber Launches NBCC-DCSL MSME Centre in Lagos

The Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce has launched the NBCC-DCSL MSME Centre with a view to strengthening the capacity of small businesses in Nigeria.
The DCSL-MSME Centre is a partnership between the Chamber and the DCSL Corporate Services Limited to enable small business owners to have access to funding, market information, training and other support services, according to the NBCC.

The Centre, which will be managed by DCSL is expected to strengthen business advisory and regulatory compliance, facilitate access to fund, provide support in the areas of taxation, governance, book keeping, immigration, business plan, secretarial, management, company incorporation and other key areas.

USA Provides $767,512 Grant for Renewable Energy Deployment in 25 Communities

The United States of America has announced a fresh grant of $767,512 (241.6 million Naira) to support the development of renewable energy in Nigeria.

The grant, which was received by Community Energy Enterprises Limited (CESEL), a private Nigerian company, is for the development of solar micro grids in 25 communities across Nigeria in Bayelsa, Ondo, Ogun and Osun states. CESEL, and its American counterpart, Renewvia Energy Corporation, signed the $767,512 agreement to provide solar energy for the communities on ‘pay-as- you-go’ basis.

The CESEL Managing Director, Patrick Tolani, signed the agreement on behalf of his company while Clay Taber, Managing Director of Renewvia, signed for his firm, at the Power Africa office in Abuja.

The MoU signing was witnessed by Power Africa Coordinator, Andrew Herscowitz, and the United States Agency for International Development mission director in Nigeria, Michael Harvey.

USA Provides $116,000 Grant To Preserve Nigeria’s Cultural Heritage

The United States of America (U.S.A) Embassy in Abuja has announced a grant of $116,000 (about 36.6 million Naira) through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation programme, for the preservation of cultural heritage in Nigeria.

The grant would enable Nigerian cultural institutions to improve the storage areas for collections in 10 Nigerian museums.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the grant was signed between the International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), with Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria.

The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation supports projects in more than 100 developing countries around the world.

Projects include the restoration of ancient and historic buildings, assessment and conservation of rare manuscripts and museum collections, preservation.

It also include protection of important archaeological sites, and the documentation of vanishing traditional craft techniques and indigenous languages.