Local content: Made-in-Nigeria dredging firm seeks govt support to create jobs

Nwakama Dredge Nigeria Limited, an indigenous owned dredging company that manufacture dredgers in-country, has called for the Federal Government support in encouraging use of locally made dredgers in the nation’s maritime sector.

The Port Harcourt based company, believed that increased patronage from government owned parastatals like the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and its joint venture partners including Calabar, Lagos and Bonny Channel Management Companies as well as the Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), will boost the company’s business and create jobs for Nigerians.

The company manufactures and owns DGO Dredgers that are proudly made-in-Nigeria and offer home grown dredge solutions tailored towards the specific needs of the customers.

Speaking to BusinessDay on a sideline of an international conference and exhibition organised by NIWA in Lagos last week, Nwakama Onwuzuruigbo, managing director of Nwakama Dredge Nigeria Limited, said that Nigeria’s economic development depends largely on indigenous production and participation in economic activities.

“Nigeria’s status as import depend nation has led to her negative economic growth, dwindling foreign reserves and pressure on foreign exchange and dearth of employment creation. Therefore, there is no time than now to support made-in-Nigeria products so that Nigerians would begin to right the wrongs of the past,” he said.

“We came to this exhibition with made-in-Nigeria dredgers that have been successful in Nigeria, which we have been developing for 13 years now. Today, we can boast of efficient, reliable and rugged dredgers that are currently working in Bayesla, Rivers, Anambra and other neighboring towns.

Because the dredgers are made-in-Nigeria, he noted that the company is fully compliant to the provisions of the Local Content Act as the range of workers including the engineers and artisans, who work on dredgers, are all Nigerians.

While observing that using Nigerian workforce to produce such equipment give room to backward integration, he pointed on the need to patronise made-in-Nigeria products like Nwakama Dredgers, for the economic well-being of the country.

On the cost effectiveness of the dredgers, he stated that the dredgers that the firm sale for less than N100-N200 million, other people buy for $3 million abroad.

“Such people have to source dollars in order to import those dredgers, which at the end has significant pressure on the naira. We are saying that Nigerian dredgers are good enough to dredge the Nigerian waterways and organisations like NIWA, NPA, Lagos, Calabar and Bonny Channel Management Companies should look inward and begin to use Nigerian dredgers for the good of Nigerian economy,” he stated.

On the unique features of the dredgers, he said that the company employed engineering customisation to give their products the needed edge over other dredgers. “While imported dredgers are struggling to get sand, our made-in-Nigeria dredgers are built with long ladder dredging machine to enable them operate in rugged terrains.”

He further disclosed that their products offers customers the opportunity of acquiring a reliable dredger at a cost-effective rate and with money back guaranty.

“In building our dredgers, we avoid highly electro-technical components and make use of simple electrical and hydraulic systems that does not pose much challenges to the user. We keep it simple and efficient with one year warranty.”

“We have a trade name that is registered with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment. We understand the importance of buying Nigerian dredgers because buying Nigerian dredgers secure the employment of Nigerians, who work in the company.”

He however, noted that the current economic situation comes with its hardship for businesses, but that is helping Nigerians to reshape their business model and reduce the rate at which they depend on importation.

He pointed at finance as a major challenge confronting their business, which had made them to rely on customers’ indication of interest before proceeding to manufacture owing to the fact that is a capital intensive project. “We want Bank of Industry (BoI) to come to our aid, believe in what we can do and give us affordable credit facility to grow our business.”