From Anthony Nwachukwu, Lagos
The Federal Government said it would strengthen collaboration with the Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN) in implementing sector-specific guidelines to achieve sustainable national economic growth.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka Anite, made the commitment at the 7th Nigeria Manufacturing and Equipment EXPO (NME) and 9th Nigeria Raw Materials EXPO, which ended in Lagos Thursday.
Reflecting on the theme of the expo, “Future Manufacturing: Building a Sustainable Roadmap to the Industrialisation of Nigeria,” Anite noted that manufacturing is a cornerstone for job creation, value addition and a robust workforce.
According to Anite, who was represented by Mrs. Olumuyiwa Ajayi-Ade, government’s policies center on “creating enabling environment, incentivising production activities and promoting the use of Made-in-Nigeria products to boost the competitiveness of our manufacturers.”
She disclosed that the present administration recently established a presidential council for industrial revitalisation, including sub-committees on consumer credit, commodity exchange, heavy industries, steel development, and trade facilitation, among others.
“As part of this commitment, the president has pledged to allocate N75 billion for 75 manufacturing enterprises to access N1 billion credit at a 9% interest rate per annum. This initiative aims to expedite the transformation of the manufacturing sector.”
Therefore, “we must leverage emerging trends such as artificial intelligence, automation, robotics, and the Internet of Things (IoT) to enhance our manufacturing processes, improve efficiency, and drive productivity.
“Additionally, we must prioritise the development of our raw materials sector to support our manufacturing industry. By focusing on value addition and local sourcing, we can reduce our reliance on imported raw materials and improve the overall competitiveness of our products.”
For the President of the Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr. Francis Meshioye, Nigeria needs to establish synergy between its trade and industrial policies.
He insisted that “beyond manufacturing, all industrial and commercial businesses in the country also suffer from energy inadequacy and inefficiency.
“The vision of industrialised Nigeria would remain an illusion until we resolve the constraints that affect the ease of doing business in the country.
“It is for this reason that investors in the economy will continue to push for sustained effort to bring about significant improvement in the quantum, quality and consistent supply of electricity.”
He explained that the expo offers stakeholders an opportunity to examine the manufacturing sector and chart development through the Manufacturers Partnership for African Development (mPAD) and Master Class Sessions.
“Through this annual event which provides a common ground for large manufacturing organisations and SMEs to explore new production processes that will increase their output, MAN has taken the challenge of leading the sector to play a vital role in the nation’s vision of becoming one of the leading industrialised economies in Africa,” he said.
Meshioye explained that the theme of the 2023 EXPO was informed “by the unprecedented rate at which our world is changing in terms of innovative technologies, shifting customer expectations, as well as increasing social awareness of gender equity and restoration of previously marginalised communities.
According to him, these major shifts have a considerable impact on the future of the sector, as manufacturers would be well-positioned in the future to compete favourably in the industrial marketplace.
However, this is only possible “if manufacturers can efficiently balance a combination of efficient economies of production and supply chains, strong and reputable products, loyal customers, an established logistics network, as well as reliable on-line business elements.
“By successfully assimilating advanced technologies into their systems, existing and prospective industrialists can expect to realise even greater revenue and profits from their investments.”
Oyetola charges agencies’ heads on ministry’s performance bond
From Anthony Nwachukwu, Lagos
For him to “unfailingly demonstrate innovative thinking and an unrelenting focus on results” as charged, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has mandated heads of agencies in the ministry to work assiduously to realise their deliverables.
Oyetola, at his ministry’s maiden retreat for staff and agencies to relay the president’s set targets and goals, said the execution of the performance bond and completion of key projects within the ministry would position Nigeria as a top global maritime nation.
The minister said that making Nigeria a premier maritime nation is achievable by “utilising the potential of the county’s blue economy to diversify revenue, assure sustainable development and cultivate environmental stewardship.”
He explained that the ministerial retreat, coming on the heels of a strategic roundtable with maritime stakeholders, was to evaluate, prioritise and forge practical resolutions for improvement for the directors and chief executive officers of the ministry’s agencies.
According to him, it was also a platform to relate with sector players with a view to understanding their roles in a key sector within the Nigerian economy, and to brainstorm on enabling strategies to achieving their mandate and functions.
“The maritime sector stands as a reservoir of immense potential, not only for economic growth but also for diversifying our revenue source and generating abundant employment opportunities for Nigerians,” he said.
“I am convinced we have what it takes to deliver on our Key Performance Indicators. We, are, therefore, gathered here to brainstorm on how to deliver on the KPIs.”
Also sharing the ministry’s mandate, vision and mission with its workers and agencies’ staff, he said “our mandate is to institutionalise blue economy as an important pillar for economic sustenance and growth diversification, having due regards to the ecosystem.
“The mission is to formulate and implement policies, programmes and initiatives that will facilitate the development of an inclusive maritime and blue economy (ecosystem), driven by an operating environment that meets global best standards.
“We have a solid team of resource persons and facilitators to develop the goals and roadmap for the ministry, with a view to achieving the performance bond and other numerous projects, programmes and initiatives that will position Nigeria among the top-earning nations in the marine and blue economy sector.”
On her part, the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, said the retreat was designed to provide a veritable platform for top management officials of the ministry and its agencies to cross-fertilise ideas on how to galvanise the marine sector to meet the ministry’s set goals and objectives.
“It is worthy to note that the minister has signed a performance bond with Mr. President, which will serve as a scorecard for the ministry. This bond comes with its initiatives, deliverables, key performance indicators, timelines and target, which the sector must unconditionally achieve.”
