Working Conditions

Covid-19: Working Conditions Still Precarious

by with No Comment Business

Covid-19: Despite Easing Lockdown, Working Conditions Of Nigerians Still Precarious-NBS

Despite the easing of Covid-19 lockdown, working conditions of most organisations have remained precarious as they battle the impacts of the covid-19 pandemic.

READ ALSO: Access Bank Buoys Digital Payments for SMEs With SwiftPay

According to the National Bureau of Statistics report titled, ‘COVID-19 impact monitoring report’ for November/December 2020, business activities in the non-farm enterprise sector suggests people’s working situations remain precarious.

Recall, as at July, 2020, Nigeria had completed the three phases of its gradual easing of the COVID-19 lockdown, with the reopening of airports for local flights.

The report showed that about 17 percent of households who had non-farm businesses during 2020 were not operating their business in December 2020.

It stated, “Of these, 61 per cent (11 per cent of all households with non-farm businesses) had also been closed for at least one month between June and November 2020.

“Moreover, just 23 per cent of households with non-farm businesses in 2020 operated them continuously since the peak of restrictions in April/May.”

It showed that the share of respondents who were working remained around pre-crisis levels in December 2020.

However, it stated that the agricultural sector has proved to be a resilient source of income for most Nigerians, as households involved in farming activities recorded increased income from crop sales in 2020/21 as food prices soar.

There was also an 80 percent increase in the share of households participating in crop-related farm work between the 2019 and 2020 agricultural seasons.

READ MORE

Mansard

AXA Mansard empowers female business owners

by with No Comment BusinessNews

AXA Mansard, a member of AXA, the global leader in insurance and asset management as part of the its plans to foster women empowerment and capacity building has collaborated with SME 100 Africa to empower one female business owner at the 2021 International Women’s Day Conference.

READ ALSO: Government targeting gender-sensitive public financial management processes

The conference which held on Thursday March 4, 2020 was themed ‘Choose to Challenge: Achieving An Equal Future in a COVID-19 World’.

It held in a hybrid (both virtual and physical) format and featured sessions from various successful female business owners such as Mrs. Funke Bucknor-Obruthe, the CEO of Zapphire Events Limited and Fade Ogunro the CEO of Bookings Africa.

It also featured a financial literacy session facilitated by AXA Mansard’s investment officer, Nneoma Mere.

The highlight of the session was the business pitch session where female entrepreneurs presented their pitches and keenly competed for a prize of One Million Naira (N1,000,000) towards their businesses.

GreenHill Recycling Limited founded by Mrs. Mariam Lawani – a social enterprise that provides sustainable solutions to the waste management crisis in Nigeria through recycling and upcycling emerged as the winner of the prize.

Commenting about the pitch competition, the Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at AXA Mansard, Mrs. Olajumoke Odunlami noted that “The pitch session was a thrilling and impactful experience for me.

I am very privileged to have been a part of this session and to have seen the great things that women are doing in business.

Women are the force for change and we must continue to strive to ensure that we are visible and relentless.”

Mrs Odunlami concluded by saying that “AXA is committed to gender equality through implementation of gender initiatives as well as sound and inclusive policies, processes and culture across the organisation.

We believe that women are the key to progress as they are a vital force for growth and development around the world.

We encourage women to take advantage of our SHE for Shield initiative which is tailored towards empowering women.

Every business owner who has made a pitch here is a winner as they are all doing fantastic things with their businesses.

I congratulate the winner of the prize money, Mrs. Lawani whose company is targeted at sustainability.

We at AXA are strong advocates of sustainability and this is also reflected in our targets and policies.

AXA Mansard was incorporated in 1989 as a private limited liability company and is registered as a composite company with the National Insurance Commission of Nigeria (NAICOM).

The Company offers life and non-life insurance products and services to individuals and institutions across Nigeria whilst also offering asset/investment management services and health insurance solutions through its two subsidiaries – AXA Mansard Investments Limited and AXA Mansard Health Limited respectively.

AXA Mansard was listed on the Nigeria Stock Exchange in November 2009.

SOURCE LINK