DR. DORIS UZOKA-ANITE - THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE .

DR. DORIS NKIRUKA UZOKA-ANITE ,  MINISTER OF INDUSTRY, TRADE AND INVESTMENT - THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE .

By Genesis Ogiri, Abuja.

Dr Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite is a politician, financial expert and medical doctor. She holds the position of minister of industry, trade and investment. In 2021, while serving as the commissioner for finance and coordinating economy in Imo State, Dr. Doris took an active part in policy creation, economic framework, and developmental strategies, working towards greater success on a national and international level. 

Doris Uzoka-Anite is an advantage to this new administration. Beyond the demands of 35% inclusion of women in government, the outstanding record of achievements of Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite presents the new administration with a double accomplishment of fulfilling the affirmative action as recognized and accepted while filling a strategic position with the most accomplished and qualified individual who possesses a sound capability for result driven leadership

Imbued with exceptional leadership strength and skills, her career trajectory provides a complete dose of satisfaction given the top-rate accomplishments she has recorded over the past two decades and the innovative organizational transformations she has led both in the private and public sector.

  Her expertise lies strongly in strategic financial management, process improvement, and innovation, backed by a strong analytical skillset and pragmatic approach to problem-solving.   Her growth trajectory clearly shows that she possesses the unquenchable passion for personal growth and poise to contribute to overall institutional and national development with a view to discovering new ways and adopting smarter processes in accomplishing collective institutional objectives. With a resounding commitment to excellence, she has achieved remarkable successes in both the private banking sector and the public sector.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, has promised to draw more investments into the country and demonstrate a strong resolve to facilitate a business-friendly environment that nurtures the growth of local businesses.

The appointment of Dr Doris Nkiruka Uzoka Anite as Minister of Trade and investment by President Bola Tinubu did not come as a surprise. Her rise in the political profile is predictable following her lofty achievements as an accomplished banker, an erudite manager of human and material resources. 

Anite has an impressive record of accomplishments that span various sectors, making her a valuable asset to Tinubu’s administration. With a rich background in both medicine and finance, the university of Benin graduate who has earned several personal and corporate endorsements brings unalloyed multidisciplinary expertise to the table, positioning her as an exceptional leader in the ministry of trade and investment.

  “Her journey to this position has been characterized by hard work, determination, and the pursuit of excellence. Anite has proven her worth as a skilled strategist, financial expert, and coordinator.

“Her contributions to the success of the Imo state administration in the areas of strategy, financial management, and coordination have ganered praises and recognition both locally and internationally.”

Under her stewardship as Group Treasurer of Zenith Bank Plc, Anite took the Nigeria apex bank to another height as she successfully managed a total asset of over $20bn(N8.48Tr) and contributed more than 36 per cent growth to the bank’s gross revenue as well as supervising a trade portfolio of $4 billion and N10 trillion worth of transactions.

 *TRADE MINISTER: FG* *working to empower 10m Artisans within two years* 

Doris Uzoka-Anite, minister of industry, trade and investment, says the federal government is working to empower 10 million artisans in two years.

Uzoka-Anite spoke in Abuja on Friday during the second edition of the ministerial press briefing series.

She said the artisans would be trained under the skill-up artisans programme (SUPA) facilitated by the Industrial Training Fund . She said the artisans would be trained under the skill-up artisans programme (SUPA) facilitated by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF).

The minister said the government is targeting another one million jobs in a talent exchange programme where artisans from Nigeria can get jobs abroad.

“We are creating a National job centre to match available vacancies in industries and businesses with the available talent pool. The job centre will also train and equip people to be job-ready,” she said.

“One such initiative is the Skill-UP Artisans program (SUPA) led by our parastatal, the Industrial Training Fund (ITF).

“The programme will empower artisans with tech-enabled skills training, licensing, access to essential toolkits, and promoting industry-standard excellence.

“SUPA addresses the skills deficiency among artisans and standardizes artisanal practice. The programme ensures the availability of a skilled workforce for domestic industries, thereby reducing labour import dependency.

“Over a two-year period, the programme aims to empower 10 million hard-working Nigerians and reflects the government’s commitment to promoting economic development and improving citizens’ standard of living, and job creation.

“Still in furtherance of job-creation, skills development and talent exports, we launched the NATEP – to create 1 million jobs, including talent exchange/export, business process outsourcing and job outsourcing.

“We are engaging and signing MOUs with world-class organizations and governments on this.

Uzoka-Anite said Nigeria has already signed an agreement with the UK to ensure smooth trade processes that would allow Nigerian businesses to export more goods to the European country.

“The partnership also encourages UK investors to explore Nigeria’s most promising sectors, working towards increasing reciprocal Foreign Direct Investment,” she said.

“This cooperation aims to spur economic growth through investments in infrastructure, technology, and manufacturing.

“Furthermore, the Regulatory Cooperation on Technical Barrier to Trade (TBT) makes it easier for Nigeria to trade goods with the UK by preventing, identifying, and eliminating unnecessary technical barriers.”

Earlier, Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, said the ministerial press briefing series was created for the media to be able to engage officials of the federal government on topical issues.

The minister reiterated that President Bola Tinubu understands the pains and challenges that citizens are going through and is working to bring relief to households and business

Federal Government is set to unlock the  Nigeria's Potential 

In her recent interaction with Newsmen, she said the Ministry is set to inaugurate intelligence unit to predict global market trends, enhance trade.

According to the ministry, the aim is to predict global market trends and enhance our local and global trading capacities.

With respect to trade as a tool to stimulate economic growth, the ministry is set to inaugurate the National Trade Intelligence Unit in collaboration with other Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

“Such as the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, the Nigerian Customs Service, Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)

“The Trade Intelligence Unit will be the national coordinator and focal point for all trade-related data and information in Nigeria.

“This office is set to leverage world-class technology such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and big data to provide Nigeria with the ability to predict global market trends.

“That will enhance our local and global trading capacities, thereby significantly enhancing trade and the ease of doing business in Nigeria, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Eight Point Agenda,” she said.

According to Uzoka-Anite, this will equip Nigerian traders with invaluable insights to navigate potential global economic shocks and provide strategic guidance to enhance our economic growth.

She said it would enable the traders to focus on areas where Nigeria had a comparative advantage, thus leading to rapid economic growth. Reiterating the advantages of the centre, she said it would, among other things, provide Nigeria with unparalleled, reliable import and export information and data, essential for effective planning and business ease.The minister said that under her stewardship, the ministry had taken various major steps targeted towards stimulating the economy and ensuring competitiveness.

“We are creating a national job centre to match available vacancies in industries and businesses with an available talent pool. The job centre will also train and equip people to be job-ready.

“One such initiative is the Skill-UP Artisans Programme (SUPA), led by our parastatal, the Industrial Training Fund (ITF).

“Over a two-year period, the programme aims to empower 10 million hard-working Nigerians, and reflects the government’s commitment to promoting economic development, improving citizens’ standard of living, and job creation,” she said. According to Uzoka-Anite, the ministry is also taking decisive steps to attract capital investments that will transform our homegrown enterprises into global players.

She said all these were in furtherance of the 8-point agenda of the President Tinubu-led administration.

The minister acknowledged some of the prevailing challenges in the sector, among which were infrastructure deficits, bureaucratic bottlenecks, and regulatory complexities.

She said: “additionally, external factors such as fluctuating commodity prices and global economic uncertainties pose risks to our economic stability.

“Yet, we are undeterred in our resolve to address these challenges head-on, seeking innovative solutions and fostering collaboration across sectors. We will also be engaging more with the private sector to get closer to the business community and resolve their challenges. We will do this by having more sectoral stakeholder engagements.

“Through this collaboration, we can fully unlock Nigeria’s potential and create an environment where businesses thrive, innovate, and contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of our great nation.”