By Naomi Uzor
THE Raw Materials and Research Development Council, RMRDC, weekend, said the aims and objectives of Manufacturing Equipment Expo, NME, are being met as companies in Nigeria are now using locally available raw materials and fabricated machineries.
Disclosing this at the closing ceremony of the of the 2019 edition of the Manufacturing Equipment Expo, NME, and Manufacturing Partnership for African Development, mPAD, tagged “Optimizing Value Chain to Maximize Growth and Competitiveness in the Manufacturing Sector”, the Director General, Raw Materials and Research Development Council, RMRDC, Dr. Hussaini Ibrahim said during the exposition, the council realized that a lot of companies were now using locally available raw materials and have been making efforts at also using locally made fabricated machinery to produce a few products that are in the market.
Ibrahim who was represented by the Director, RMRDC, Mrs Zainab Hammanga, said within the three days of the exposition, the council had real time industrialists and long time manufacturers who told the council about their problems and successes in the manufacturing industry.
“In that way, a lot of audiences have gained so much in the process. We had organisations like Nigeria Export Promotion Council, the Nexim Bank, the Development Bank of Nigeria, whereby these people were able to tell them about government’s efforts in trying to help, especially the SMEs. They are trying to move the local content up the ladder. You will agree with me now that if you go to the supermarket, you will find alot of made-in-Nigeria products on the shelves of our international supermarkets as well as our local supermarkets.
“The result of the advocacy drive for NIRAM expo has helped in no small measure to improve our Foreign Direct Investment, FDI, through foreign partnerships and investments in local industries as well as the enhanced exportation of value added raw materials and products” he stated.
President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN, Engr. Mansur Ahmed disclosed that the association is already making contributions at the continental level and has been given a leading role in the establishment of African Manufacturers Association, AMA.
“This was a fallout of the Intra-African Trade Fair, IATF, held recently in Cairo Egypt. I was elected the chairman of the interim committee saddled with the responsibility of birthing this Pan-African body that would provide the platform for African manufacturers to collectively address the challenges confronting sustainable industrialization of Africa and trade among ourselves. The Director General of MAN was also elected as co-secretary in conjunction with his Kenyan counterpart,” he disclosed.