The efforts of the Federal Government at enhancing productivity improvement and national competitiveness in the world of work recorded a boost today as the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment embarks on sensitization of staff to embrace the tenets of productivity consciousness and enhancement for effective service delivery.
Declaring open a one day sensitization workshop on productivity improvement and national competitiveness in Abuja, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Bolaji Adebiyi said that the economic reliance of any nation is premised upon her capacity to enhance productivity for national competitiveness and global ranking.
According to him, “the era of subsistence and traditional approaches to the production of goods and services for socio economic benefits is past and has been overtaken by a new age of modern technology, globalization and new forms of employment relationship” adding that, the objectives of the workshop includes the creation of awareness on the importance of the national policy on productivity to our economy. He emphasized that the present administration is determined to diversify the economy and that to support the efforts of government in this direction and for the rapid development and growth of our economy, we must uphold the tenets of productivity consciousness and enhancement in every facets of our economic life.
Adebiyi added that, “we must appreciate the importance of productivity measurement in the world of work as it indicates where there are gaps on productivity and performance and how improvements can be undertaken.”
Earlier in his remarks, the Director, Productivity Measurement and Labour Standards, Mr Dan Neburagho affirmed the Ministry’s commitment towards building the capacity of officers with a view to enhancing their knowledge in key areas of the Ministry’s mandate based on productivity enhancement of Nigeria workers to improve national competitiveness, development and global ranking.
He stressed that the workshop seeks to address the creation of productivity consciousness and changing the mindsets of all participants and by extension the society at large. The lingering low level of productivity in most sectors of the economy has been an issue of major concern to the present administration. This is because of the implication of low productivity to realizing the objectives of the nations’ development goals and aspiration. “He hoped that at the end of the workshop participants would have been equipped with productivity improvement techniques as a critical instrument for the realization of government’s current development plan which is encapsulated in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP.”
In his presentation, Director, Planning and Policy Analysis, Gbenga Bamiduro of National Productivity Centre advised that “ in order to promote healthy competitiveness in the production of goods and services in all sectors of government amongst social partners, faith based organizations stakeholders and the mass media should not be relegated to the background as it is a powerful tool of mobilizing and enlightening the citizens on the need to accept the policy ,encourage open dialogue and exchange of ideas on productivity improvement ,dissemination ,productivity ideas and literature in local languages and report incidences of productivity in the society,” he enthused.