OFFSHORE MARKET: A HARVEST OF OPPORTUNITIES

Yes, Nigeria is worth a try!
Are you in search of a sure way to grow your business be it in manufacturing or service oriented, it is better you beam your searchlight on other communities or countries where the demand is very high. In this instance why not look into the services export which remains untapped in Nigeria.

The common definition for service export is the sale and delivery of an intangible product like a service between the producer and the consumer. This relates to an interaction between producers and consumers that are located in different countries while the interactive process is called international trade in services.

The services, although invisible, are geared towards playing a very important role to make easy all aspects of economic development, infrastructural processes like transportation, communication and of course, financial services as well as the support for any kind of business to grow. In this regard as well, educational, health and recreational efforts promote the quality of labor available to business establishments. In this vein as well, professional services are meant to induce specialized expertise that engenders companies’ competitiveness in the market.


A service exporter, to be successful, should possess a niche offering in terms of something that differentiates the individual or firm from others in the industry. Since services cannot be inspected before purchase like a common commodity, clients depend on referrals and endorsements when selecting their service providers therefore a key to successful services export creates credibility in both the local and global markets.

Services firms can gain global credibility by joining international professional associations or through listing in international directories. As an insight on the available opportunities in services export for Nigerians, according to Mr. Femi Boyede, the International Trade Centre Consultant on Services and International Trade Strategy, told the Punch about three weeks ago that one should look well into the Information and Communications Technology, travels and tourism, transport and recreational services among others.

“Under the general agreement on trade and services, he says, services are divided into the following broad sectors: business services (including professional services, information technology related services, research and development, communication services, construction and related engineering services, distribution, education, (banking and insurance, security, health, social services, travel and tourism, recreational, cultural and sporting as well as transport services.
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YES YOUR MONEY CAN WORK FOR YOU?

Essential Tips these Hard Time Days!

It may interest the numerous visitors to the site that a little digression is being made on the usual focus on financial scammers in whatever guise they may appear, the issue is quite far from that; it is only just put in the cooler for now in order to address an issue of a life more abundant – How your money can work for you.

There is no gainsaying the fact that any one truly buoyed with financial success today or regarded as a success in true sense of the word only let the money work for him or her. This is by focusing on savings and investment. So a person who wishes to invest and profit from any type of business must ensure he maintains an unequalled integrity in dealing with people within and without his or her environment.

This is by starting at least saving 10 per cent of your monthly income or regular earnings which you should learn to invest in treasury bills and government bonds which are more secure investments that company shares; bond market being a good safeguard against inflation according to experts who further advise that an individual can look for credit facilities that will eventually make him or her financially stable.


They also stressed on the on financial discipline that will enable one to pool together funds for investment this is because if you put your money in banks or on stocks, the tendency is there for you to lose it and you better invest in properties, government bonds or agriculture that yields a high interest in the long run.

Normally, the difference between the haves and haves-not is only an ability to take a dream and make it real. One should also put in mind that the purpose of money is to work for you so determine your financial goals in terms of earning, savings and investment then focus on what steps you must take to achieve the goals.

One must also learn to live within one’s means and avoid debts and instant gratification like a plague because the two cankerworms may be a stumbling block on your way to reach your financial goals or slow you down completely.

It is also necessary to maintain a personal budget because it is your key to a secure financial future. The important factor influencing this is to add up your net income, add together your expenses while ensuring that they are separated into specific categories viz: housing, accommodation, insurance, debt, car etc… More to follow.
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Recycle Wastes and Make Good Money

Recycling of wastes is a profit oriented business; the process involves transforming unusable and discarded materials into new inevitable household or industrial mundane support. This is a key factor for modern waste management. Disused products from polyethylene such as nylon and plasthcs can be recycled for this good money making venture.

Waste products for recycling business can be gotten from different places including the dustbins either from homes, industries and dump sites as well as packaged water sachets and treated by removing any cello-tape, metal, sand and other impurities from them.

To start a small scale polyethylene recycling business requires at least about US$65,000 and a plot of land while up to US$325,000 is normally required to start on a larger scale.
About 15 staff should be envisaged for the small scale business while between 30 and 50 workers may be needed for a large factory.

Major raw materials can also be sourced from packaged water factories and also from jobless young people who pick waste nylons and plastics from the streets and sell them to recycling factories. A standard processing enterprise for the process should have some basic machinery which must include a treatment plant, grinding machine, an extruder and a crusher depending on the intended production capacity.


A small scale recycling plant can produce an average of 2 tonnes of products per day while a large one can come out with a minimum of 5 tonnes daily. The price of the recycled materials depends on its density and for the high one; this is sold for a few cents per kilogram during the dry season and much more during the rainy season.

Low density of white semi-finished products are sold for about US$1.05 per kilogram while a tonne is sold for about US$725.00 Plastic waste materials can be converted into drinking straws, aprons, plastic covers, cups, plates, slippers, pipes, gift items, files, table mats etc….In most cases, the recycled semi-finished products are normally packaged in 25 and 40 kilogram laminated bags to avoid water penetration and there is also the possibility of other packages in accordance with the prospective buyers specification.

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In Nigeria, foreigners mostly Chinese are at the forefront of this business. What they do is to buy the semi-finished materials from recycling factories and convert them to finished products this is because they have all the necessary processing machinery and equipments. From the look of things, the polythene industry will continue to remain inexhaustible while there are areas that operators are yet to exploit to the fullest.

Although many people see it as a dirty job, waste products recycling business can be a form of poverty alleviation strategy because it is quite a very profitable venture. One of the major problems confronting the business in Nigeria, however, is erratic electric power supply and provision of alternative sources is no child’s play. This is a very important area of employment creation to which the policy makers in the Ministry of Labor and Productivity should direct their energy and ensure that people, particularly the young ones and unemployed graduates are sensitized to it in order to reduce the rate of prevailing poverty in the land particularly in these days of very biting global economic meltdown.
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