Pertinent issues affecting the Nigerian printing industry will be on the table December 10, 2020, when the Chartered Institute of Professional Printers (CIPPON) holds its Annual General Meeting (AGM).
A statement by the President/Chairman in Council, Mr. Gbemi Malomo, said the AGM would hold at the Hotel de Horizon, Plot 5 kandi Close, Off Aminu Kano Crescent Wuse 11, Abuja with the induction of new member and an award ceremony as a major highlights.
In the release, he said the meeting would also provide opportunity for the current executive which came on board one years ago to review its achievements.
It said thus far, the administration had made some achievements listing these to include pursuing collaboration arrangements and the signing of a favorable Memorandum of Understanding with the Copyright Commission to help sanitise the Industry; to initiate a vigorous advocacy towards ensuring that Nigeria printing jobs are given to Nigerians as well as Impressive inroad into main stream Nigeria International Book trust to ensure that books are produced locally
The release also added that the administration succeeded in setting up of CIPPON Secretariat and hiring of some support staff to work there, identifying and setting up a collaboration with the entire value chain in book production as well as workable agreement with publishers towards attainment of local book production.
In the area of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the institute plan to take over the monument of the first printing machine in Nigeria, as well as produce a documentary telling the story of Shomolu as a major printing hub in Nigeria with great potentials examples.
It is however bothered that a sector which currently employs more than 10 million Nigerians in its entire value chain still has a lot of its viable potentials untapped.
Also of concern to the entire body of professional printers is that fact that despite several years after it was established by Act 24 of 2007, it is yet to be recognised and respected especially in the area of routing vital printing jobs via its members.
This, says the institute, has led to a situation of very high capital flight as much of such jobs are contracted to foreigners.
