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Dike Onwuamaeze

The Director General of Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Professor Nnanyelugo M. Ike-Muonso, has stated that Nigeria must reduce the importation of industrial raw material by 60 per cent in order to become an industrial powerhouse.

Ike-Muonso stated this in Lagos during the opening ceremony of  “Nigeria Manufacturing and Equipment/Nigerian Raw Materials (NME/NIRAM) Expo 2025” with the theme, “Accelerating Sustainable Manufacturing Through Cutting-Edge Equipment and Technology Solutions.”

He said: “It is clear that to reposition Nigeria as an industrial powerhouse, we must reduce foreign raw material imports by at least 60 per cent in the next five years and significantly increase local resource utilization, incentivise value addition through technology adoption and tax support; support the emergence of industrial hubs and clusters around strategic raw material zones; deepen research–industry collaboration for tailored innovation; facilitate technology transfer, infrastructure finance, and SME integration across the manufacturing spectrum.”

Ike-Muonso also said that the expo is one of such important moments where our collective vision for an industrialised Nigeria takes shape.

He said: “The NIRAM-NME Expo is not a typical bi-annual event. It is a strategic platform where Nigeria’s industrial future is debated, designed, and driven. It brings together policymakers, researchers, manufacturers, technology providers, financiers, innovators, and investors under one roof to showcase advances in local sourcing, beneficiation, and industrial utilisation of Nigerian raw materials; foster partnerships to reduce import dependence, boost domestic production, and stimulate indigenous industrialization.”

Speaking in the same vein, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji,  reiterated the federal government’s disposition to ban importation of any product that could be produced at commercial quantity in Nigeria.

Nnaji said: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is very clear that importation of any product that is produced in this country at commercial rate would be banned automatically. Because of that we have in our ministry an agency called Presidential Executive Order Number 5, which ensures that as soon as there is production of any material that is being imported, we will ban its importation. “

The President of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr. Francis Meshioye, said that by embracing cutting-edge technology solutions, “we are accelerating innovation, resilience, and long-term value for our stakeholders.”