The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry Business Entrepreneurship Skills and Technology (BEST) Centre has been nominated for the finals in this year’s World Chambers Competition in the Education and Training category.
The competition is the only award program of its kind to recognise innovative initiatives undertaken by Chambers of Commerce around the world. The 2019 edition of the Competition received a total of 73 entries from 29 countries, the second highest number of projects in the Competition’s 16-year history.
This news was made public by the ICC World Chambers Federation, Paris, the organisers of the World Chambers Congress (WCC) in an email sent to the Provost of the Centre, Prof. Adesoji Adesugba who is also the Vice President responsible for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI).
According to the email signed off by Léa Puteaux , Project Officer in the  Global Membership  and Services department,  the winner and others in different categories will be announced during the Congress Gala Dinner on 14 June 2019 at the World Chambers Competition awards ceremony.
Other chambers that were drawn in the same category as the ACCI BEST Centre are: Gaziantep Chamber of Industry; Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Chamber of Commerce in Styria and Camara de Industrias Produccion y Empleo de Cuenca.
BEST Centre was established by the ACCI with the main objective of operating a world-class learning centre for the development and improvement of entrepreneurship, technology and other vocational skills. It is a response to the massive skill gap and employability problem existing in Nigeria. BEST has signed several Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with notable institutions.
Meanwhile, the ACCI has been thrown into jubilation and messages of felicitation has started pouting in from key stakeholders in the Organised Private Sector (OPS) movement in Nigeria.
In one of the messages, Otunba Dele Oye Esq, former President of the Chamber and current National Vice President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), said he received the news with great joy and expressed confidence in the ability, competence and ingenuity of the drivers of the Centre.
“This is no doubt cheering news. I have worked closely with the drivers of the Centre and I can attest to their competence,  diligence, commitment to excellence and midas touch. I am proud to be associated with this success story that has made all of us proud”,  he said.
On his part,  the President of the Chamber,  Prince Adetokunbo Kayode said he is proud that the dream he had in setting up the Centre is materializing within a record time. He underscored the importance of skill development in the achievement of an individual and overall contribution to economic development.
“I am delighted to know that BEST is gradually the best among equals. This news has further stamped our functions,  programmes,  activities and projects on the global platform. With this and many more awards to come,  we will surely contribute more of our quota towards skilling,  up-skilling and re-skilling our people,  not only in Nigeria but across the whole of Africa and even beyond.
“We are happy this recognition has come at a time we are just about a year and half. We will redouble our efforts in areas of our core mandate”,  he stressed.
In his comment,  former Minister of Nigeria,  Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong congratulated the chamber for achieving the feat which he described as spectacular.
“It is a spectacular achievement which has not only appreciated the Centre or Chamber but also reinvigorated the Nigerian spirit of making spectacular achievements against all odds. BEST has made all of us in the chamber movement proud and I can say categorically that,  more awards awaits the chamber”,  he noted.
The Provost of the Centre,  Prof. Adesoji Adesugba while adding his voice to the development maintained  that the recognition is a mark of commitment to duty,  selfless service to humanity,  patriotic team and zeal to achieve more frontiers.
“Taking the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Business Entrepreneurship Skills and Technology (BEST) Project to the Congress has offered us the opportunity to showcase our efforts as a Private Sector Organization in Nigeria that is contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals through job creation, capacity development, and business support.
“We believe that our initiatives will provide ideas that can be successfully adopted and implemented in other Chambers of Commerce worldwide. We also hope to learn new ideas from our interactions with others at the Congress”,  Prof. Adesugba reiterated.