The Pharmaceuticals industry in the country currently contributes less than 5 percent to GDP (gross domestic product). In this interview, the President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, Pharm. Azubuike Okwor, says despite the injection of N200 billion Pharmaceutical Development Fund by the Federal Government, Nigeria is but only a spectator in the 41 billion naira global biotechnology industry. Excerpts:

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Patrick Ziakede Akpobolokemi has said that the agency will continue to train dockworkers operating in the nation’s ports in order to improve their productivity and the volume of cargo coming into the country.

THE Managing Director of the Gambia Port Authority last week visited management of the Nigerian Ports Authority, with a view to soliciting Nigeria’s support in the forthcoming election to the office of the Secretary General of Port Management Administration of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA).

Nigeria Maritime Expo otherwise called IMAREX, organizers of the biggest exhibition in the country has blamed bad policies, inadequate capacity building and untapped opportunities in the sector as factor affecting the industry, leading to the loss of $1.8 annually.

OPERATORS of ferry services in Lagos are currently groaning under the menace of water hyacinth as their boats have been trapped by the weeds thereby making commuters find alternative mode of transport from some parts of Lagos

Operators in the maritime industry have warned that the nation risk sanction by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) should it continue with the concession of the nation’s maritime domain.

Minister for Communication Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson has called on banks to give financial support to various initiatives of the ministry aimed at developing ICT in the country.

Owners of business outfits, Tuesday, in Ibadan voiced their fears over the cashless policy that had taken off in Lagos in line with the CBN’s directive. Some of them, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), requested for insight into the benefits and objectives of the newly introduced policy which started on January. 1.

The country’s currency (Naira) strengthened, yesterday, both on the interbank market and at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s foreign exchange window.

The Nigerian Economic Summit Group, NESG, has lamented the high rate of divestment and unemployment in the Nigerian economy and called for a collective action against corruption if the country intends to address the myriad of social and economic challenges confronting it.