The Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Li Yong, arrived Nigeria today on a two-day official visit.

Li Yong, who is visiting the country for the second time since his assumption of office in year 2013, will use the occasion of the visit to sign the $60 million UNIDO Nigeria new Country Programme (CP) for Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development (2018 – 2022) with the Federal Government of Nigeria.

During his two-day working visit to Nigeria, LI Yong will also hold bilateral meetings with high level government officials and UNIDO’s bilateral partners to expand and strengthening the Organisation’s capacity for promoting Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development in Nigeria, Africa and globally.

The new Country Programme, the second in the series of UNIDO’s support to the Government of Nigeria, is aimed at enhancing Nigeria’s drive towards Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development, ISID, and is aligned to the priorities of the Federal Government as outlined in the Nigeria Vision 20:2020 (NV 20:2020),Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, ERGP, and the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan, NIRP.

According to available documents on the CP, it is specifically designed to build on the cumulative achievements of past Country Service Frameworks and Country Programme implemented by UNIDO.

It comprises nine programmatic components, namely industrial governance, research and statistics programme; Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises development programme; Special Economic Zones, SEZs, industrial parks and private sector development programme.

Other are, innovation, science and technology management programme ; agro-industry and agribusiness development programme; minerals and metals development programme; trade capacity building programme; renewable energy development programme and environmental management programme.

The UNIDO leader’s visit will also take place in the context of the 2018 Africa Industrialisation Day (AID) commemoration holding at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, on November 20, 2018.

This year’s AID has the theme “Promoting Regional Value Chains in Africa: A Pathway For Accelerating Africa’s Structural Transformation, Industrialization and Pharmaceutical Production.”

The AID 2018 offers an important opportunity to identify innovative, solution-driven actions and policies to advance pharmaceutical production on the continent, in the context of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement, AfCFTA, and the Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa (IDDA III).

The AID, which is celebrated on 20 November every year globally, offers also a unique platform for UNIDO to enhance international cooperation and dialogue on the pan-African industrialisation agenda, and to raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges associated with this innovation drive.

Every year, it gathers African leaders, policy makers, representatives of the private sector, academia, international financial institutions (IFIs) and development partners to showcase the continued relevance of industry, including manufacturing production, as a powerful engine for sustainable development and poverty eradication.